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Serves 4 as a main courseDifficulty:
Easy
This recipe came from my mother, I did change it slightly. It’s almost bordering on a baked savoury pudding.
A trip to London is not complete without stopping at the fabulous Borough Market. When walking through the market with a shopping list in tow, it’s pretty normal for me to let my emotions take over and my radar (or foodar, as I call it!) goes haywire when I detect all those wonderful ingredients. Before you know it, I have spent more than anticipated and have not bought a single item from my list.
Just stopping at the famous Neal’s Yard cheese shop can result in near bankruptcy for me! I tell myself every time to stay focused and purchase just what’s needed… but it’s much easier said than done! Their goat’s curd works perfectly in this recipe. If you plan to make this dish for your vegetarian friends or family make sure you buy cheese that is made using vegetarian rennet.
As the marrow I used when creating this recipe was incredibly fresh and the skin still very tender, I grated the whole marrow, skin and all, and I like the resulting texture as it does not go completely mushy but still retains some coarseness. So, select very fresh marrow if you can, but if the skin is tough, peel the marrow and discard the skin. I flavour the marrow with a little garam masala as it works well with the strong goat’s curd. If goat’s curd is not available, you can use ricotta or even Stilton instead.
This bake is ideal served as a vegetarian main course. You can make four individual bakes or one larger one, whichever you prefer.
Ingredients & Method
- 500g marrow (trimmed weight), washed and patted dry
- 2 eggs
- 50ml double cream
- 50g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 200g goat’s curd
- 1 large thick slice white bread, crusts removed
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and grease 4 individual round ovenproof dishes (each about 10 x 5cm) or 1 large ovenproof dish (about 25 x 18cm). Set aside.
If the marrow is very fresh and the skin is tender, then there is no need to peel it, but if the skin is tough and thick, peel the marrow and discard the skin. Coarsely grate the marrow and set aside.
Put the eggs, cream, flour, garam masala, baking powder and salt and pepper into a mixing bowl and whisk together to make a thick smooth batter. Add the grated marrow and fold together to mix. Spoon the marrow mixture into the prepared dishes (or dish) dividing it evenly between the dishes, then top each portion with 50g goat’s curd (or if you are using one larger dish, spoon over all of the goat’s curd), placing it in small dollops or dots over the top.
Bake the individual dishes in the oven for about 20 minutes (or bake the larger dish for 30–35 minutes) or until cooked and golden brown on top – the bakes will rise or soufflé slightly during baking, but once they are removed from the oven they will sink back into the dishes as they start to cool.
While the marrow bakes are cooking, put the bread, parsley and garlic into a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Remove the cooked marrow bakes from the oven, sprinkle the garlic crumbs over the top and serve immediately. Serve with buttered cooked seasonal greens, steamed broccoli or a dressed mixed seasonal salad.
Cook’s Notes
If you like the sound of this recipe but do not have marrow available, substitute the marrow with courgettes, butternut squash, pumpkin or even sweet potatoes.
The goat’s curd can be substituted with soft goat’s cheese, ricotta, mascarpone or Stilton, or it can be omitted altogether, if you prefer.
If you make one larger bake, this recipe can also be served as a side dish to serve 6. Serve as a side dish with pork belly, roast chicken or lamb.