Marrow and tomato masala

Marrow throws out much liquid as it cooks. In fact, so copious are the juices generated it is almost a chunky broth.

If you don't fancy eating the skin of the marrow, simply scoop off the flesh with a spoon and leave the skin behind. However, if the marrow is fresh and young, this should not be necessary. Do try and find curry leaves, however, as they do add to the aroma of the thing.

Serves 4 (more like 5-6 with rice)

1 marrow, about 1 kg
salt
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp masala paste (used Patak's Madras paste from Sainsbury's Camden. Good.)
12 curry leaves, fresh or dried (optional)
750g ripe red cherry or baby plum tomatoes
freshly ground pepper
50g butter, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3. Trim the ends of the marrow, cut it in half down through the middle and then halve each piece lengthways. Scrape out the fibre and seeds with a teaspoon and then cut each quarter in half yet again, also lengthways, giving 8 marrow "boats" [next time might be included to slice into chunks, as difficult to fit into anything at this length].

Sprinkle salt generously over all cut surfaces and place the marrow in a colander for about 40 minutes to leach out a modicum of the juices. Rinse and dry in a tea towel.

Meanwhile, in a large lidded pot, fry the onions and garlic in the oil until golden. Add the masala paste and stir around for a few minutes. Lay the marrow pieces, skin-side down, on top and add the curry leaves, if using, then tip over the tomatoes. Season and dot with the slices of butter. Cover and place in the oven to cook for about 1½ hours.

Delicately decant into deep soup plates, so each one has 2 pieces of marrow, a spoonful of the tomatoes and plenty of aromatic broth.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/28/simon-hopkinson-recipes-vegetarian-option