Marrow: Marrow and Feta Parcels, Followed by Stuffed Marrow with a Spicy Moroccan style Bean filling and a Marrow Slaw

Marrow, Feta and Mint parcels with a Pea and Mint Dipping Sauce

So, the reason for cooking up a Marrow Medley came about because I was so kindly, by Lynne, given a Marrow which looked like  a penguin for my Birthday. And, having just moved I thought I'd treat the household to a vegetarian feast. 

In fact this was a huge marrow and so I attempted to do a very pretentious meal of 'Marrow Three ways': Marrow and Feta Filo parcels with a Mint and pea dipping sauce: Marrow stuffed with Moroccan Spicy Beans and a Slaw Salad which included raw Marrow. And, it works!

I stated by cutting my Marrow in half, using one half to do the filo parcels and salad and the other half to stuff.

For the starter, peal and grate a third of your half marrow. Fry in a little bit of olive oil with a clove of garlic and fresh mint and Rosemary. Add in your cooked fresh peas and cook until the marrow has a little colour on it.

Once cooked, let it cool and mix in the feta and season, adding some more fresh mint if you like. 

Then make up your parcels, putting a tablespoon of filing in the centre and sealing with some melted butter. I used shop bought film and cut the sheets into squares of around 12cm. Fry them in butter for around 2 minutes on either side until golden brown and serve with a pea and mint dip: see below for this recipe.

For the main, start by scooping out the centre of your half marrow,and bake it for around 20 minutes on 180 degrees. I did this to get rid of some of the moisture first and soften the skin.

Then make the spicy paste.  In a mortar put your curry paste,  harrissa paste, cumin seeds, ground corriander, star anis, cardamon seeds, garlic, salt pepper and one fresh red chilli (chopped). Pound it all with your pestle until you have a fairly smooth paste.

In a large cooking pot, make your bean filling by frying your spicy paste in olive oil, adding your onions, garlic, mushrooms, chopped aubergine and mini peppers. Then add your beans and tinned tomatoes as well as a hand full or two of pearl barley, as well as chopped almonds. Cook until the barley is cooked. Check seasoning and adjust to your taste.

Marrow Stuffed with Spicy Moroccan Beans

Add your filling to the marrow and top with soft cream cheese and bake for 30 to 40 minutes on 180 degrees.

Serve with your Slaw, Rice and the remainder of your pea and mint dip. The presentation was a little messy but tasted great! 

Think we got a bit carried away with group singing, percussion and recorder session to mind. All in all a great evening. Musical and Marrow-tastic.

Ingredients:

Filo parcels:

1 or 2 sheets of pre-bought filo pastry cut into 12 squares.

melted butter and a brush

1 clove of garlic

olive oil

1/4 of your marrow. peeled and grated (half or your half)

half a feta cheese, crumbled

large handful od fresh mint, chopped

1 sprig of chopped rosemary

fresh cooked garden peas. I used around 80g

Pea and mint dip:

70g cooked garden peas

2 tablespoons plain yoghurt

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to season

small bunch of chopped fresh mint

Blitz all of the above together in a hand blender. Season to taste.

Stuffed Marrow Filling:

Spicy paste: Medium Curry paste,  harrissa paste, cumin seeds, ground corriander, star anis, cardamon seeds, garlic, salt pepper and one fresh red chilli (chopped)

1 white onion, chopped

1 Aubergine, chopped

8-10 mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

4-5 mini red peppers chopped in half ( or 2 normal red peppers)

2 tins of assorted beans. I used mixed beans and butter beans

2 cans of tinned tomatoes

1 stock cube

2 handfuls of pearl barley

2 handfuls of chopped almonds

The above measurements made enough to stuff the half marrow and there was quite a lot left over which makes a nice stew or soup. Half the quantities if you don't want leftovers!

I served with white basmati rice, using Delia's recipe. Serve with whatever you fancy though. 

Fresh Slaw:

1/4 of marrow (half of your half) peeled and grated. Sprinkle over salt and drain so there is no liquid

1 x grated carrot

1 apple thinly chopped

5 thinly chopped radishes

1 bag fresh rocket/ lettuce or whatever salad leaf you fancy

Dress with a simple dressing of olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Kay's Farmer's Pie: A bit like a Cottage Pie but with Mushrooms, Lentils, Leeks and Red Wine

It's been an age since I posted a recipe. Basically I've been working stupid hours and also we've moved house. What better way to settle in than cooking for everyone. And this week I've cooked a lot, including this delicious savoury pie. It's a hearty winter warmer perfect for the change in season and just as good for a Sunday lunch.

We've moved in with Andrea and Ameer so as to save up for a deposit and I am loving their big kitchen and lovely big pots and pans. I chose myself this massive Le Creuset dish and consequently this recipe feeds up to 8 people. You can reduce quantities to feed less though. See recipe below.

In a pan, fry off your onions, leek, celery and mushrooms in olive oil. Add your garlic, spices, salt and pepper. Then add your tomato puree and lentils. Let them cook for a minute or so to absorb the flavours. If you don't cook off the tomato puree, it can taste really bitter.

Pour in the red wine and let the alcohol simmer off for about 4 minutes. Then add a stock cube and water, as well as a tablespoon of marmite. This is optional. I just like the really nice savoury flavour that this adds, as well as the deep colour.

Cover and cook on a low heat so that it's gently simmering for about 40 minutes until the lentils are al dente and almost cooked. Halfway through this stage, add in your chopped carrots. I add them a bit later as I like them to have a bit of texture to them still when you serve up.

At this stage, turn on the oven to 180-190 degrees centigrade and let it heat up and prepare your mashed potatoes.

Chop and boil your potatoes with their skins on until they're soft. Then add a good seasoning of nutmeg, salt, pepper and a dollop of butter. For the amount of potatoes I had I used about 30g butter.

Mash and adjust seasoning to taste. We added some grated cheese to our mash to make it a bit richer. 

Compile your pie, putting your lentil filing on the bottom and mashed potato on top with a generous helping of cheddar cheese on the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the cheese on the top has browned to your taste.

Serve with fresh greens or whatever you fancy.

Recipe (serves 6-8 people)
Prep and cooking together takes about 2 hours. Perfect for a winter weekend. Not a quick supper.

For the lentil stew/ pie base:
1 large white onion
1 leek
1 stick of celery
3 cloves of garlic

Mushrooms- I used about 10 small mushrooms chopped roughly. Up to you how many.

Italian herbs, thyme, rosemary, ground coriander, parsley, salt and pepper. 
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks for a rustic feel
150g green puy lentils
1 large tablespoon of tomato puree
1 vegetable stock cube
1-2 glasses of red wine depending on how rich you like it! 
1 tablespoon of marmite
water to cover lentils. Add more if you think the mixture is too dry. It should look like the photos above.

For the potatoes:
8 medium potatoes chopped in half
nutmeg, salt and pepper
25-30g butter
150-200g grated mature cheddar cheese. 50g should go into the mashed potato mix. If you just want the cheese on top then used 150g.