STUFFED MARROW (or the courgette that nearly got away!)

We have had some rum old weather here in France and autumn gardening has not been easy.  When Nick finally was able to clear the overgrown vegetable patch he discovered a surprise.  A courgette that had grown to the size of a marrow!  It was about 70cm (28") long!

We are fans of stuffed marrow in this house but haven't made one for years.

You can see my previous post about it here.

 

The dish is essentially a marrow cooked then stuffed with a bolognaise-style meat sauce and baked in the oven.  My mum always made hers by peeling the marrow and cooking it in boiling water before stuffing it and baking it.  According to the internet an overgrown courgette is not the same as a marrow, the latter being more watery when cooked.  So, this time instead of peeling and cutting it into rings we cut it lengthwise, unpeeled, and roasted it in the oven to make sure it was cooked before stuffing.

It was however rather huge so we only used half of it and we still have the other half to work out what to do with it next!  In actual fact we didn't manage to eat all of the one half either so I turned the leftover portion into stuffed marrow soup!  You can see that here.

Ingredients

1 large marrow or courgette, or two or three smaller ones

350g lean minced beef

1 tblsp sunflower oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 beef stock pot or cube

a good splash of red wine or sherry

1 large can of chopped tomatoes

a little hot water

a sprinkling of mixed herbs (optional)

a good sprinkling of grated cheese (cheddar or emmental)

Method

Preheat the oven to 200° C / 180° fan / gas mk 6.

Wash or wipe the marrow and cut it in half lengthways.  Scoop out and discard the seeds using a tablespoon.  Lay it cut side upwards in a large baking tray and put into the oven to cook while you make the filling.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and fry gently until soft.  Add the meat and garlic and fry until the meat is browned.

Add the tomatoes, herbs and stock pot/cube and stir well.  Add the wine or sherry and stir in.  Continue to cook until the meat is cooked, adding a little hot water to get a thick sauce.

Remove the cooked marrow halves from the oven and check that they are cooked using the point of a knife or skewer.  Return to the oven for a few more minutes if they’re not tender.  Then place them in a suitable baking dish that they fit into neatly.  Spoon the meat filling into the cavities and sprinkle the grated cheese over.

(At this point you could leave the dish as it is and finish cooking later if convenient.)

Return to the oven and bake for around 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and forms a slight crust.  

The whole dish is a meal in itself for two or three people with some crusty bread on the side.  Would serve 4-5 with a few extra veg.