Vegetable marrows

Hi, I have a number of "Long Green Bush" variety marrows maturing in the garden and would appreciate any recipes or tips re baking, boiling etc.. I have a number of cookery books, none of which contain marrow recipes

From Farmhouse Cooking by Mary Blackie.

Marrow (Summer or Yellow Squash)

Remove skin, discard seeds (seedscan be roasted like pumpkin seeds)

Cut into 1-2 -1cm cubes and do one of the following:

boil, steam, roast, moist-bake, bake in a sauce.

Cut lengthwise, scoop out seeds, stuff and bake.

Here are a couple of recipes:

Savory Potato and Marrow

Serves 3-4

150 g ( 5 1-2 oz) potatoes 150 g ( 5 1-2 oz ) marrow black pepper 3 ml (1-2 tsp) summer savory 5 ml (1 tsp) sesame seed (toasted) 45 ml (3 T) plain yoghurt

Peel potato if desired. Cut into small pieces (approx 1 1-2 - 2 cm (1-2 - 1 in) cubes. Peel marrow if desired. Cut into similar sized pieces. Boil potato in water. When almost cooked, add marrow. Boil until both are tender (be sure not to overcook marrow which leaves it soggy and tasteless). Drain vegetables. Place in serving bowl. Season with black pepper to taste. Mix together summer savory, sesame seed and yoghurt. Spoon or pour over potatoes and marrow. Serve hot or cold.

Flavour boost. Prepare yoghurt sauce in advance to allow better absorption of flavours.

Stuffed Marrow

Serves 4

1 medium marrow (abour 800 g - 1 kg or 1 3-4 - 2 1-4 lb) salt and black pepper 1 large onion 25 ml ( 1 1-2 T) oil 3 cloves garlic 3 ml (1-2 tsp) each of rosemary, winter savory, sage, thyme, oregano, paprika 50 g ( 1-4 cup, 1 1-2 oz) greens (eg. borage, lettuce, sorrel, comfrey, spinach) chopped 400 g (14 oz) ground beef 150 ml (2-3 cup, 5 1-2 oz) tomato purŽe 125 ml (1-2 cup, 4 1-2 oz) water

Peel marrow and trim ends. Have, scoop out and discard seeds leaving a 1-2 cm (1-2 - 1 inch) thickness of marrow flesh. Season both halves with salt and pepper. Thinly slice onion. Fry until browned and soft in 15 ml (1 T) of oil. Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, herbs, paprika, greens and a little salt and pepper. Stir in meat. Cook over medium heat for about 2 mins, stirring constantly. Add tomato purŽe, stir well and simmer for 10 mins stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stuff each half of the marrow with meat mixture. Fit the two halves together again. Tie in 3-4 places with cotton thread-string. Place in oven proof dish with approx the same dimensions as the marrow. (authors note: "I often cut my marrow into 2 to fit in my round cbutterole dish.") Pour in water and remaining oil. Add the third garlic clove, finely chopped. Cover and cook at 180C or 350F for 50-60 mins. Baste occasionally during cooking.

If you want to make your own tomato purŽe...

Tomato PurŽe

750 g (1 3-4 lbs) ripe red tomatoes

Halve tomatoes, place in a blender and blend for 1 min. Pour into a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 30 mins. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove from heat. Press through a sieve to remove seeds and skin. Makes about 250 ml (1 cup) of purŽe.

Debbie