In a small bowl, steep the saffron in the Pernod for 10 to 15 minutes.
In a soup pot or shallow stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the fennel, shallots, celery, minced garlic and fennel seed and sauté over medium-high heat until wilted but not browned.
Add Pernod and saffron and wine and simmer long enough to allow the alcohol to cook out, about 4 minutes.
Add the snails, the broth and the citrus zest and juices.
Drain the canned tomatoes and then push them through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the tomato sauce. Add the tomato sauce to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the butter and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Simmer an additional 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the bread into ¾-inch slices and brush each slice with olive oil.
On a grill pan or barbecue grill, grill the bread until brown and well-marked on both sides. Lightly rub each piece with a whole clove of garlic to flavor the bread.
Evenly divide the snail mixture between four shallow bowls.
Garnish with fennel fronds and serve with plenty of grilled bread to soak up the juices.
1/3 cup Pernod
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
½ fennel bulb, finely diced and fronds reserved
½ cup finely diced shallots
1 stalk celery, rough fibers removed and finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tsp. fennel seed
1 cup dry white wine
2 cans Sabarot brand Helix snails
4 cups low sodium vegetable stock or chicken stock
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Zest and juice of 1 Clementine or small juice orange
1 small can Italian plum tomatoes
1 stick unsalted butter
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf rustic country bread
2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2010.