When I'm serving this snake at my Halloween BOO-ffet, I make it twice and set the loaves together so that it looks like one very long (3-4 foot) snake. You can vary the filling ingredients in each of your snakes so that your guests have a choice. A double snake makes a very impressive centerpiece. Make the second snake with a tail rather than a head.
To save even more time, you may substitute frozen white bread dough, however, the dough does not bake up as crisp as the homemade dough in this recipe.
Banana leaves are available in the freezer section of most Asian grocery stores.
Scrumptious Slithering Slimy Snake
12 Servings
Crust
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon yeast
Filling
1 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce, your favorite brand
1/2 pound thinly sliced ham
1/2 pound thinly sliced pepperoni
1/2 pound thinly sliced salami
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
yellow food coloring
green food coloring
orange food coloring
2 large pimento stuffed green olives
red bell pepper
1 large banana leaves
Place the crust ingredients into the pan of the automatic bread machine in the order given. Set the machine to the dough cycle. After the machine has been running for five minutes, check to see that there is enough flour to make a medium-soft dough; if not, add a little more. If the dough is too stiff add a tablespoon or two of water.
When the dough is finished, roll it out on a lightly floured pastry cloth to a rectangle about 8" x 18". Spread 1/2 of the sauce evenly over the surface, leaving a 1" edge on one of the long sides. Cover the sauce with the ham, then the pepperoni, then salami, then the cheese. Roll up tightly like a jelly-roll. Pinch the edges to seal. Pinch the small ends together so that there will be no leakage while baking.
Transfer the snake to a large parchment-lined baking sheet; move it into an S shape. Shape one of the ends into a head. Let the snake rise until double in bulk. When it has risen, carefully paint small amounts of the food coloring decoratively across the surface of the snake (I use a small pastry brush, but a clean, new paint brush will work well also.)
Bake in a preheated 400° oven 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Do not underbake, as the filling will seep through and make the snake soggy! Attach the eyes to the head of the snake with toothpicks. Cut 2 very long strips from the red bell pepper, shaping the end of each so they look like fangs. Cut a small slit in the mouth area of the snake and insert the fangs.
Place a long banana leaf on your buffet table and transfer the snake to the leaf for serving. This looks extremely impressive—just like your snake slithered out of the jungle!
Serve each slice of the snake with some of the remaining spaghetti sauce for dipping.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 409 Calories from Fat 192
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 47% Protein 18% Carb. 35%
Nutrient Amount per
Serving
Total Fat 21 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Cholesterol 50 mg
Sodium 1474 mg
Total Carbohydrate 36 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 18 g
Vitamin A 22% Vitamin C 43% Calcium 0% Iron 10%
