Marrow Phat!

I had a lovely looking selection of veggies from my Kent Veg Box this week, including some unwanted carrots- they are delicious, I just always struggle to get through the bastard things as I prefer them raw to cooked and, not being a horse, there are only so many raw carrots I can munch my way through before I turn orange- and a perfectly formed, fresh marrow. Due to my constant raving, my sister has signed up for Kent veggies now too, and we were discussing possible recipes for marrows when we realised that they remind us of our grandmother as she used to grow them, but can't remember what the hell she'd do with them once she'd picked them; short of fritters or stuffing them, no interesting recipe ideas were forthcoming. Until today...

I was nosing through some veggie burger recipes earlier today when a meatless, loaf shaped lump of inspiration smacked me in the face, and suddenly I knew that I wanted to effectively make a savoury cake out of my marrow and carrots. Oh yes, once again I was inspired to throw a load of ingredients together in one pan and hope for the best. I was always taught that if something's working, stick with it. So I'm sticking with lobbing everything in my fridge into one dish and hoping that it makes dinner. If you've got an easier, better or tastier method of success feel free to let me know, but for now mine's the winner. This little beauty of a Frankenstein creation had a particularly light, fresh and summery flavour, but the marrow is a blank canvas and the whole thing could easily be made richer with some tomatoes and spices. It's definitely about having versatility within a recipe, and I'll certainly be trying out some different flavour combinations with the same methods.

So, here's the basics:

Marrow Phat!

serves 4

1 small marrow (about the size of an aubergine), grated
4 medium carrots, grated
3 tbsp gf plain flour (I used Doves Farm)
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp coriander
1/2 large onion, diced
12 or so fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
end of some strong goats cheese
goat butter, for greasing
salt & pepper

1. Preheat your oven to gas mark 4 or equivalent. Pop your grated marrow into a sieve, lay a clean tea towel over and press down firmly on top to squeeze out any excess water.
2. Dump the drained marrow into a large bowl, followed by the carrot, onion and all dry ingredients. Season and mix together thoroughly.
3. Stir in your four beaten eggs until fully incorporated.
4. Pour the whole mixture into a small, greased loaf tin. You can obviously grease up with any fat of your choice, but I used goat butter to enhance the flavour of the tiny amount of goat cheese I had, plus I've just been loving it lately, as it's like butter and cheese in one. The greatest thing ever for lazy cracker topping. In fact I'm convinced now that I need a goat in my garden and no longer just to keep the grass short.
5. Pop into your preheated oven for 45 minutes or until golden and cooked all the way through. Serve with salad, beans or leafy greens.