Stuffed Marrow

Description:

The marrow has been rather forgotten, poor thing. People just don’t seem to know what to do with it. It has a wonderful taste, a combination of pumpkin and courgette. I remember the stuffed ones my mother used to carve up at the table, all piping hot and steaming. Because of their water content, although firm, they do need a lot of gubbins in the middle so that the stuffing-to-marrow ratio is correctly balanced. So you will need at least 1kg of stuffing to a 2kg marrow.

I have gone slightly Eastern bloc on this recipe, as I think the raisins, cinnamon and smoked paprika work well. I have used beef shin, which I’ve braised and shredded, getting away from the usual inclusion of mince (I prefer mince in a burger). It is simple and pleasing, and goes well with a cold lager. Although the overall cooking time is lengthy, each stage is very simple. When cooking the beef, the marrow I refer to is that in the bone of the beef shin (of course you can leave it out if you wish). This is a game of two marrows.

Ingredients:

1 x 2kg marrow
Stuffing
1.5kg good beef shin on the bone, chopped into 3-4 pieces (by the butcher)
olive oil
1 large onion, peeled
2 good garlic cloves, peeled
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1/3 cinnamon stick
1 small teaspoon cumin seeds
2 heaped teaspoons pimentón de la Vera(hot smoked paprika)
finely grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 conservative handful of raisins
1/2 tomato tin water
a heavy, heavy grind of black pepper
100g stale bread
1 teaspoon celery salt
2 heaped teaspoons large-flaked sea salt

Method:

Serves 4-6

Select beef shin pieces with a good lot of bone marrow, as this is tasty and keeps the meat moist when cooking. Get a large lidded flameproof casserole, put it on a low heat and pour a generous slug of olive oil into the bottom. Put in the pieces of shin. Finely dice the onion and garlic, then add to the pot. It is not the aim to brown the meat at all but to let everything slowly come to heat and cook gently. Chuck in the remaining ingredients, except for the bread and both salts. Put the lid on the casserole and turn the largest gas flame or hob to as low as it can go, just so that the stew is bubbling away slowly in the pot. Cook this for 3 hours.

Smash up all the bread to crumb size in a food processor or by any other method necessary. (If it is not totally stale, not to worry, but you really don’t want fresh bread; if it is new and soft, rip it up and dry it out a little in the oven.) Put the crumbs to one side.

When the shin has braised, allow it to cool completely. When cooled, pick up the meat, which should easily come away from the bone. Pinch each piece between thumb and forefinger to break it up and string it out a bit. Throw away any unsavoury bits, but not before you have extracted every last bit of meat. Do this over the sauce so that the meat falls back in. Make sure any marrow hiding in the bones has also been poked out into the meat and gravy. Try not to eat it all. Season the filling with the salts. Don’t be alarmed by the amount of salt, as marrow dishes need it. Add the breadcrumbs to the pot, where it will firm up the sloppiness, giving the stuffing a nice texture.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6.

Split the marrow evenly down the middle from end to end (you would be wise to choose as straight a marrow as possible, as it will be easier to deal with than one that is skew-whiff). With a spoon, scrape out the seeds and pith from down the middle of each marrow half.

Double over and lay a sheet of foil across an oven tray, with long enough sides overlapping the tray that they might be gathered round the assembled marrow and folded on top. Oil this sheet lightly where the marrow’s underside will sit. Place the marrow on the awaiting foil. Fill the marrow with as much of the meat stuffing as you can. Don’t worry, the foil will keep all present and correct. (If the filling is fridge-cold, bring it to room temperature first; otherwise you would have to overcook the marrow.) Gather the foil round the middle of the marrow and fold over on the top to secure all. Yes, I realize the ends of the marrow are sticking out. Cook the marrow in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes; it is cooked when a skewer slides in with the tiniest resistance, but not like a knife through warm butter.

It can be tricky to release the marrow from the foil once it has been cooked. Put the whole thing on a serving dish with the foil and open it at the table. Cut in slices, and there you have it. Eat with cold bottled beer.

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