Stuffed Marrow Bake

It was on a sunny summer Sunday morning that I finally went to the local car boot sale to look for any treasures that I may find to use as food props and found this beauty.

But it wasn’t just this beauty that we came home with. We found a beautiful marrow and I instantly knew what we would be having for dinner. sometimes things just come to you by some sort of divine alignment of separate incidents to become one. I had some Lactofree mature cheddar cheese which I was looking to experiment with and this was the perfect chance to use it in a bake. Had a packet of smoked bacon cubes and yes had some cute, tiny bottles of olive oil which had been sent to me. I normally would infuse my own oils and always have a big bottle  of olive oil into which I stuff a few cloves of crushed garlic, some chill flakes and fresh herbs – the oil adds beautiful depths of flavour in whatever I use it for and because it is a lovely bottle, it looks pretty on my kitchen counter too – which reminds me I need to get around to doing this again soon – hummm

Also, I had these bright and colourful mini chilli plants now sitting on my window sill, looking all pretty and waiting to be used – yellow and deep aubergine coloured chillies – this was going to be one colourful bake!

So this beautiful marrow came home with us and just like that became part of our dinner plans…..

Stuffed Marrow Bake 

Ingredients

• 1  beautiful marrow
• 3 heaped tbsp grated Lactofree mature cheddar
• 3 flakes of garlic chopped fine
• 500 gm smoked bacon cubes
• 4 tbsp sweet corn
• 2 medium-sized red onions
• 2 tbsp chilli infused Terra Rossa Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• Sea salt to taste

Method

• Chop the red onions lengthwise, set aside.
• Cut the marrow into half and scoop out the insides and discard, I know I should have saved them for making something else …

In a saucepan heat 1 tbsp chilli Terra Rossa Olive Oil.

• Sauté the chopped garlic first and when it begins to brown and the aroma explodes into the kitchen its time to add in the chopped red onions and toss them around till they begin to change colour. Then add the smoked bacon cubes and cook on a medium flame stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.
• Then add in the sweet corn and mix well for about a minute, season with sea salt and chilli flakes.

• Remove the saucepan with this onion, bacon and sweet corn mixture off the flame and set aside.
• Line a baking tray with parchment and brush some olive oil on the marrow inside out so that it has a bang of flavour when you bite into it.
• Stuff both halves of the marrow with the mixture.

• Wrap the stuffed marrow halves in foil and bake for half an hour at about 180°C – I have a fan oven, please adjust time accordingly to suit your oven.
• Remove from foil and add the grated Lactofree mature cheddar cheese on the top.
• Then bake again without foil till the cheese browns or for 10 minutes approximately.
• Serve with a warm fresh baguette or a cheesy bread – simply so that you can scoop every single bit of juicy goodness as you eat

The Terra Rossa oils, I received a pack of 3  exquisite Jordanian infused extra virgin olive oils – chilli and lemon infused oils and an unfiltered, cold dripped Sinolea extra virgin olive oil. Not only is it good to have in the store cupboard, I think it makes for a lovely gift idea too! Yes, it isn’t too early to start planning your Xmas gift list is it?

It is incredible how much flavour this humble marrow packs in. I cannot wait to use it again in soups and stews. Yes, it’s autumn and we are going towards colder weather. So along with getting those woollies out we also need to get started with beautiful soups and stews hummm – the seasons they are a-changing! This easy recipe is perfect for busy weekend evenings ( or for a lazy Sunday evening when you want to spend some time watching telly sipping a glass of wine and chilling out rather than slaving in the kitchen!) when you do not want to compromise on flavour and want a wholesome meal too. For a meat-free option replace the bacon with a spicy potato and cauliflower mix. Whatever you choose to add as the stuffing, the result will always be satisfactory – that’s the nature of this beautiful marrow ….

*With thanks to Terra Rossa for the samples. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.