Marrow with Mint Raita

Rich in flavour. Underrated. Inexpensive. Really easy to do on the fire. Honestly, what’s more to love about a dish? We served this marrow on toasted ciabatta with a mint raita which made this dish simply sublime.

Marrow bones often end up on beautifully decorated plates in fancy eating establishments and are deemed haute cuisine, but their humble origins probably came from a Karoo farm kitchen many years ago when waste was not an option and every part of the animal was eaten.

Ingredients:

3 or so beef or lamb marrow bones cut in rounds
Stale loaf of ciabatta
Marrow dust (1 teaspoon each of paprika, ground coriander and fine salt, mixed)

For the mint raita:

About 30g of fresh mint, finely chopped
One small red onion, finely chopped
Drizzle of red wine vinegar

Method:

In a baking tray, dust the marrow bones with marrow dust so that they are coated all over and set aside.

Combine the raita ingredients and set aside in a bowl.

Slice the ciabatta into thin slices.

Light up your fire and get good coals going – what you’re looking for would be the equivalent of about 180 -200°C. Pull some coals aside and toast the ciabatta slices until they are crisp and golden.

Pop the marrow bones onto the grid and seal both ends first, then place on their sides (bone side down) and turn every now and then. If the fire is too hot, the marrow will drip out of the marrow bones. Temperature control is really important here. Gentle heat is what you’re looking for. The marrow bones will be perfectly cooked at about 15-20 minutes and there should be a nice cap on both ends.

Serve on a wooden board while the marrow bones are still hot. Smear the marrow on the toasted ciabatta and a drizzle of the raita. Eat while they are hot. Keep serviettes at the ready…