Farce food
THE poor old vegetable marrow always seems to get a very bad press, especially in childhood memories. The terrible vision of over-cooked green slime lying in a pool of water, coated with wallpaper paste, ling- ers. I am very fond of the old dear and find its taste and texture rather comforting just so long as it never gets near water. Fried in olive oil with a little garlic or steamed with some tarragon it makes a very good accom- paniment to any strong or dry dish. There are lots of the small marrows in the market at present, so try this stuffed version. Never get large ones; they get very tough and tasteless. Nine to twelve inches is big enough.
Stuffed vegetable marrow 2 small marrows 8oz best sausage meat 8oz minced beef 8oz minced pork/lamb/veal 1 lb streaky bacon rashers 5 anchovy fillets in oil 3 fat cloves of garlic 3 medium onions 3 medium carrots parsley, sage, thyme, allspice the thin peel of a lemon, grated 1 tablespoon tomato purée, olive oil tabasco and Worcester sauce
1 large egg, salt and pepper Peel the marrows, cut in half longways, scoop out the seeds and pith. Sprinkle with salt. Chop all the vegetables, garlic and anchovies very fine, add a bunch of chop- ped parsley, a good pinch of thyme and sage and 1/4 teaspoon of allspice and the lemon peel. Mix into the minced meats and sausage. Season with ground salt and pepper, a generous dash of tabasco and Worcester sauce, break in the egg and a tablespoon or so of olive oil, then mix all together very thoroughly. Stuff the cavities of the marrows with the mixture and close them. Place in a baking dish. Lay the rashers of bacon to encircle the marrows, tucking the ends under, sprinkle with rosemary and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at gas 2, F 310, C 150 for three hours. Plenty for eight to ten folk. It is very good cold, cut into thick slices. Serve with a fresh tomato sauce.
For the following receipt, the best way to purchase the mushrooms is to go to a supermarket with a nice little box and pick out the biggest and most uniform ones from the loose array. Reckon on four mushrooms per person. Stuffed mushrooms 24 large button mushrooms 2oz minced onion 2 fat cloves of garlic 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 2oz fine, fresh breadcrumbs 4oz chopped smoked ham or bacon 4oz freshly grated Parmesan/Gruyere good stock and seasoning olive oil Pluck out the mushroom stalks and chop. Crush the garlic and fry gently in two tablespoons of olive oil with the stalks and onion until soft but not browned. Stir in the parsley, breadcrumbs, cheese and ham, season with ground salt and pepper. Mois- ten with enough stock to the consistency of a porridge. Spoon this mixture into the mushroom caps. Oil a large dish or baking tray and place the mushrooms on it (you may need two trays). Sprinkle with olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at gas 5, F 380, C 193 for 20 minutes. Serve as a vegetable or as a first course with triangles of toast or fried bread.
Here is a Hungarian stuffed vegetable receipt, useful for using up leftover meats. It comes from George Lang'ir lovely book.
Stuffed green pepper salad 6 large green capsicum peppers 4 fluid oz white wine vinegar 1 lb roast veal/pork/chicken or whatever 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped 2 medium potatoes, boiled and sieved 2 pickled cucumbers, peeled and chopped fine 12 oz mayonnaise 12 thick tomato slices 1 envelope of gelatine 11 fluid oz hot chicken stock Bake the peppers in a preheated oven at gas 2, F 310, C 154 just long enough so you can peel them with ease without any breaks. Cut in half crossways, remove pith and seeds. Make a marinade of the vine- gar, 4 oz water, salt and pepper, soak the peppers in it for an hour. Mix the meat, eggs, potatoes, pickle and mayonnaise together, fill the peppers and put a slice of tomato on each. Soften the gelatine in 2 02 cold water, then dissolve in hot stock. Let it cool until syrupy. Brush the peppers with the stock, chill for 15 minutes, repeat, then put them on a pretty dish in the refrigera- tor. Let the rest of the gelatine set, cut into dice and sprinkle around the peppers.
Jennifer Paterson
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