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Wednesday 19 September 2018

Marrow ... can be marvelous !


A marrow is a cucurbit, which means it’s from the same family as the melon, cucumber, squash and courgette. The marrow is actually a courgette that has been left on the plant to grow a little longer; likewise, if you pick a marrow when small it is classed as a courgette. Marrow has a creamy flesh, edible skin and seeds and a mild flavour. 

Availability
In season in August and September.

Choose the best
Size matters - a huge marrow is best reserved for a horticultural competition. Hunt out the smallest marrow you can find - it should be no bigger than your forearm. Large marrows will taste bitter and have a watery consistency.

Prepare it
You can steam, bake, boil, fry or roast marrow. The stripy skin is edible, but if you are roasting or frying you might want to remove the seeds and stringy middles so you can just enjoy the flesh.

Store it
Keep refrigerated in a vegetable bag if you have one and use within three days.

Cook it
Marrow is a blank canvas so works well with strong flavours - pile on citrus, chilli, garlic, bacon, spices and robust herbs like rosemary and thyme. Stuff them and cover with cheese, mash into savoury dishes or grate into cakes. You can also turn marrow into chutney to serve alongside cheeseboards, ham or curry.

Alternatives
Try courgette or squash.

Above words and picture from here

Some may say that Marrows are an acquired taste, a little more watery and bland than young, sweet courgettes, but they’re a wonderful blank canvas for spiced or strongly flavoured foods. Add marrows to curries to soak up and amplify the flavours of the spices, or stuff them with marinated meat, pungent cheese or hot chorizo.

Looking for a marrow recipe? Why not consider trying this!

Chorizo and Couscous Stuffed Marrow


Ingredients:
Serves Four
1 large marrow, peeled
100g/3oz couscous *
1 lemon, juice only
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
100g/3oz chorizo, cut into small chunks
1 roasted red pepper, finely sliced
2 vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp. parsley, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. mint, roughly chopped
1 tbsp. coriander, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. Preheat an oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6.
2. For the chorizo, pepper and couscous stuffed marrow, slice the marrow lengthways and scoop out all the seeds, then place on a roasting tray.
3. Place the couscous in a bowl along with the lemon juice and enough boiling water to cover.
4. Cover with cling film and allow to soak for five minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan until hot then add the olive oil. Add the red onion and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until just softened. Add the chorizo and fry for a further two minutes until just crisped and the juices are released. Add to the couscous, along with the pepper, tomatoes and herbs.
6. Mix well and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Spoon into the centre of the two marrow halves.
7. Place in the oven for 20 minutes and cook until piping hot and the marrow is just tender.
8. To check if the marrow is done, place the tip of a knife into the side, if it offers just a little resistance it is done.
From an original recipe by Anthony Worrall Thompson here

*Have you tried low carb cauliflower couscous? It's cauliflower that resembles couscous. Do please have a look at this quick and easy recipe, it's gluten free … and all natural. It really makes a great lower carb alternative/substitute for couscous, mashed potatoes, or rice! Details can be found here

We bring a variety of articles and recipe ideas to this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan

19 comments:

Carla from The River said...

Thank you for the information. I always wonder why people allow zucchini to grow so large, when I think the small ones taste best.

Linda said...

LOL, I thought you meant bone marrow, which my Daddy loved. Stuffed zucchini is great, too.

Valerie-Jael said...

Stuffed marrow brings back lots of yummy memories. Hugs, Valerie

Tom said...

...I've seen them, but never tried them.

William Kendall said...

I was also thinking of marrow in the context of the body... didn't realize there was a term for a vegetable.

Christine said...

I would certainly give this a try!

Elephant's Child said...

I prefer the younger version. And in a house with only one dedicated vegie eater it is the less wasteful option as well.

Snowbird said...

I can work with this....yum!xxx

Kezzie said...

I do keep thinking I'd like to try some marrow again- it is such a long time since I've had one although I did have a rather large courgette in my garden this Summer- we used it like a Courgette! These ideas for what to cook it with sound good!

The Joy of Home with Martha Ellen said...

This recipe looks good. I do prefer the smaller squashes, but I imagine with the great filling this would be lovely. ♥

Sami said...

From the title I thought it would be bone marrow, lol. Don't think I've ever come across a marrow, but I use courgette quite often.

Lisa said...

This has always seemed like such an unappealing vegetable but this recipe could go some way to making it for interesting.
Lisa x

Jo said...

There were always courgettes which got missed when I had my allotment and they ended up growing to gigantic proportions. I didn't mind though as I just treated them as a marrow and stuffed them, a delicious meal.

Teresa said...

Una buena receta. Besitos.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I learned a new word today, or at least a new meaning to a word I thought I knew. Thanks for educating me on marrow,

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

My favorite way to eat squash of this sort is the Hungarian way - shredded, sauteed with onion until cooked down and seasoned with salt and lots of dill and thinned with milk and lots of sour cream. Here is one version: http://budapestcookingclass.com/spaghetti-squash-stew-with-dill-and-sour-cream-tokfozelek/

Amy Purdy said...

I have heard of those but I don't know of anywhere around here that sells them. If I come across them somewhere I'll be sure to try it out.

Magic Love Crow said...

I've never heard of marrow before. Thank you for this Jan! Big Hugs!

carol l mckenna said...

Another unique and creative recipe ~ delish!

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