What are your favourite marrow recipes? (The vegetable, not bone)
January 15, 2018 7:07 PM Subscribe
I went away for a week and came back to find my zucchini plant produced some pretty epic marrows. Last time this happened, I made stuffed marrow, and it lasted us for about three dinners. This time I have twice as much marrow to start with so stuffed marrow could get kind of boring. Any other recipe suggestions?
No dietary restrictions, but some recipes that aren't just a vehicle for cheese would be good, since I've been eating a ton of that lately. Also it's summer, so heavy stews, soups and so on are okay, but lighter fare is better.
No dietary restrictions, but some recipes that aren't just a vehicle for cheese would be good, since I've been eating a ton of that lately. Also it's summer, so heavy stews, soups and so on are okay, but lighter fare is better.
Assuming they are indeed zucchini, my parents slice them up and stir fry them with garlic, ginger, and some dried shrimp. (I'm sure the dried shrimp are optional.) Finish with a bit of cornstarch slurry if you're into that; possible combinations are sliced pork seasoned with soy sauce and shaoxing wine, or scrambled egg.
posted by batter_my_heart at 7:49 PM on January 15, 2018
posted by batter_my_heart at 7:49 PM on January 15, 2018
Alternatively, it's pretty traditional to give them away to neighbours etc. In the US the national "Sneak Zucchini Onto Your Neighbors Porch" day is August 8th, their Summer.
posted by ninazer0 at 8:16 PM on January 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
True story time: A childhood friend, who was certainly not me and who would probably be appalled (lo, these forty years hence) at this this story being told, had a bumper crop (his parents' crop, unt naturlich) of zucchini. This tale takes place in northern New Mexico.
Friend was instructed to "sell them to neighbors". Friend, being only slightly more socially advanced than myself, piled them into a wagon, went next door, rang the bell, stammered out "DOYOUWANTTOBUYSOMEZUCCHINI" before bursting in to tears and fleeing the scene.
Neighbors bought the full quantity.
Zucchini bread, was the answer I heard.
posted by sourcequench at 8:30 PM on January 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Friend was instructed to "sell them to neighbors". Friend, being only slightly more socially advanced than myself, piled them into a wagon, went next door, rang the bell, stammered out "DOYOUWANTTOBUYSOMEZUCCHINI" before bursting in to tears and fleeing the scene.
Neighbors bought the full quantity.
Zucchini bread, was the answer I heard.
posted by sourcequench at 8:30 PM on January 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
So I'm not sure what kind of stuffing you made, but kabak dolması (marrow/squash stuffed with a spiced meat-and-rice mixture and stewed in a tomato sauce) is one of my favorite Turkish recipes, and can be eaten hot or cold, usually served with some plain yogurt. Here's one recipe, but there are plenty more online; I like to skip the dill and add aleppo pepper, cinnamon, and allspice. You can also skip the meat entirely, and use the spiced rice/pine nut/currant filling for grape-leaf dolmas instead.
Another Turkish option is mucver— flat-shaped zucchini fritters, basically a squash version of the latke.
Other good ways to use them up: zucchini bread; pasta with grilled zucchini, fresh mint, pecorino, and egg (mix the cheese and a raw egg into the hot pasta and vegetables just before serving); squash and feta quiche; any kind of gratin.
posted by karayel at 9:00 PM on January 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Another Turkish option is mucver— flat-shaped zucchini fritters, basically a squash version of the latke.
Other good ways to use them up: zucchini bread; pasta with grilled zucchini, fresh mint, pecorino, and egg (mix the cheese and a raw egg into the hot pasta and vegetables just before serving); squash and feta quiche; any kind of gratin.
posted by karayel at 9:00 PM on January 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Sorry didn't realise marrow was a regional term. It means those giant zucchini that are the length of your arm or more and wide enough two hands can barely span around them. Normal zucchini recipes sometimes don't work as well because they take much longer to cook, the skin is hard and usually needs removing, the flesh isn't as tender, and the seed part is very watery and can be bitter, with large seeds. I might experiment with some of the above recipes anyway though.
To give an idea of quantity, I have around 8 kg (over 17 pounds) of the bastards. (The largest one is nearly 3kg alone).
posted by lollusc at 10:14 PM on January 15, 2018
To give an idea of quantity, I have around 8 kg (over 17 pounds) of the bastards. (The largest one is nearly 3kg alone).
posted by lollusc at 10:14 PM on January 15, 2018
Zucchini and mint go well together --- I've done it a couple ways, but a dish like this might be best in your situation since you soften the zukes by roasting them.
You could also do a version of zucchini as noodles --- I find it really helps if you have a mandolin for that. Basically you cut the zucchini into thin julienne, blanch them for a couple minutes in boiling water, then toss together with a simple sauce --- what I do is melt some butter and sauté a bit of garlic in it, then add the juice and zest of a lemon and a handful of pamesean. Sprinkle some fresh basil and more cheese on top. The first time I made this I did it 50/50 zucchini and spaghetti, but you can easily up the ratio. There's a ton of variations on zucchini noodles recipes though, if that doesn't appeal --- the paleo/GF people are all over it.
posted by Diablevert at 1:54 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
You could also do a version of zucchini as noodles --- I find it really helps if you have a mandolin for that. Basically you cut the zucchini into thin julienne, blanch them for a couple minutes in boiling water, then toss together with a simple sauce --- what I do is melt some butter and sauté a bit of garlic in it, then add the juice and zest of a lemon and a handful of pamesean. Sprinkle some fresh basil and more cheese on top. The first time I made this I did it 50/50 zucchini and spaghetti, but you can easily up the ratio. There's a ton of variations on zucchini noodles recipes though, if that doesn't appeal --- the paleo/GF people are all over it.
posted by Diablevert at 1:54 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
I chop it into small cubes, drop it in a large baking tray with a bunch of garlic, a chopped up onion, herbs and olive oil. Then roast it until it's mush, and freeze in portions. Then just have over pasta by itself, or chuck into stews and currys and the like.
I also take amusing pictures of my cats looking petubed by giant vegetables and vow that next year I'll stay more on top of the courgettes....
posted by Helga-woo at 2:24 AM on January 16, 2018
I also take amusing pictures of my cats looking petubed by giant vegetables and vow that next year I'll stay more on top of the courgettes....
posted by Helga-woo at 2:24 AM on January 16, 2018
Best answer: we had a bumper crop last year, truly huge things big as a thigh. What we did with them was puree them and freeze it in portions for soup.
I found I needed to them peel them very generously, as the skin pieces in the first batch were just too tough even after blending with the immersion blender, and also get rid of the inner part with the seeds (scoop it out with a spoon), as as you noted this part is not only unappetizing but also bitter when they are this big. This also reduced the sheer volume - we just kept the part that was appealing and put the seeds and slimey core in the compost.
For the puree (soup base) I put some olive oil and coarsely chopped onion and some garlic plus the cubed zuccini into a large pot and lightly roast it until the onion is glassy/translucent and also the zuccini is slightly cooked. Then add stock (or salted water) but not too much: just to almost cover the vegetables. Simmer until you can mash the zuccini with a fork. Stick in the immersion blender and add any herbs, and maybe a piece of butter, and blend until you have a very thick puree. Add just enough liquid if needed so that you can blend, not more. You don't want to waste freezer space by freezing to much liquid.
I freeze it in portions, and to make the soup thaw the puree and add stock or salted water, stirring it in with a whisk, until the soup has the consistency you like. At this point you can add more salt, herbs, butter, etc. We eat it with croutons, and sometimes crunchy bacon bits on top.
you can also add this puree to savory muffins to add fiber, or bread. For this I make the puree without onion etc. , only water.
posted by 15L06 at 3:07 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
I found I needed to them peel them very generously, as the skin pieces in the first batch were just too tough even after blending with the immersion blender, and also get rid of the inner part with the seeds (scoop it out with a spoon), as as you noted this part is not only unappetizing but also bitter when they are this big. This also reduced the sheer volume - we just kept the part that was appealing and put the seeds and slimey core in the compost.
For the puree (soup base) I put some olive oil and coarsely chopped onion and some garlic plus the cubed zuccini into a large pot and lightly roast it until the onion is glassy/translucent and also the zuccini is slightly cooked. Then add stock (or salted water) but not too much: just to almost cover the vegetables. Simmer until you can mash the zuccini with a fork. Stick in the immersion blender and add any herbs, and maybe a piece of butter, and blend until you have a very thick puree. Add just enough liquid if needed so that you can blend, not more. You don't want to waste freezer space by freezing to much liquid.
I freeze it in portions, and to make the soup thaw the puree and add stock or salted water, stirring it in with a whisk, until the soup has the consistency you like. At this point you can add more salt, herbs, butter, etc. We eat it with croutons, and sometimes crunchy bacon bits on top.
you can also add this puree to savory muffins to add fiber, or bread. For this I make the puree without onion etc. , only water.
posted by 15L06 at 3:07 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
(the puree I freeze is so thick that I need at least double the volume of stock/water to turn it into soup.)
posted by 15L06 at 3:10 AM on January 16, 2018
posted by 15L06 at 3:10 AM on January 16, 2018
Make at least one batch of zucchini bread. I’m always very generous with the shredded zucchini in the recipe as it keeps the loaf nice and moist.
You can also make zucchini butter, which is what my Italian mom and aunts used to do. It freezes well and is delicious on toast or as a side.
posted by lydhre at 3:41 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
You can also make zucchini butter, which is what my Italian mom and aunts used to do. It freezes well and is delicious on toast or as a side.
posted by lydhre at 3:41 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
I do this with regular zucchini and it's a nice light supper. Basically make latkes with zucchini. Shred zucchini. Wring out a bit of the water from the shredded pile if you have a clean cloth there, but I'm lazy and sometimes skip this. Just mix by eye with an egg and flour, and some finely chopped onion, and season with salt and pepper, til you have a pancake-consistency batter. Lightly fry. These are quite delicious as a side dish for a hearty meal or just as a light meal on their own, and if you have kids, they are a very good way to get them to eat the zukes.
posted by velveeta underground at 5:31 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by velveeta underground at 5:31 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Oops -- should have read the comments upthread more carefully - I would go with karayel's mucver recipe rather than this improvised one! I am very glad to know this zuke fritter has a tradition, and a name -- yay askme! :)
posted by velveeta underground at 6:51 AM on January 16, 2018
posted by velveeta underground at 6:51 AM on January 16, 2018
I cooked a leftover one of those babies produced by my mom's garden last Canadian summer over Christmas. So two points: 1) if you have a cool storage area, they keep well for as long as four months (she stored it in an unheated room in her basement, not in the fridge); and 2) if you peel it, remove the seeds, and chop into thin slices about 2-4cm wide, it fries up really nicely in butter/olive oil mix with some onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and a splash or two of white wine.
posted by snorkmaiden at 7:09 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by snorkmaiden at 7:09 AM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
it fries up really nicely in butter/olive oil mix with some onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and a splash or two of white wine.
this is marvellous over pasta, and a similar technique makes a fine quasi-fettuccini-alfredo. i've turned similarly enormous specimens into zucchini pie, which is like a zucchini quiche but with the egg:veg ratio inverted. (this is handy when you're dealing with squash in quantity).
posted by halation at 3:51 PM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
this is marvellous over pasta, and a similar technique makes a fine quasi-fettuccini-alfredo. i've turned similarly enormous specimens into zucchini pie, which is like a zucchini quiche but with the egg:veg ratio inverted. (this is handy when you're dealing with squash in quantity).
posted by halation at 3:51 PM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
oh, they are also very good in green curry (with or without chicken).
posted by halation at 3:52 PM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by halation at 3:52 PM on January 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
These zucchini and bacon tartlets are not too much work and highly addictive.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 5:11 PM on January 16, 2018
posted by the duck by the oboe at 5:11 PM on January 16, 2018
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posted by tamitang at 7:42 PM on January 15, 2018