Roasted Marrow Bones

Entertaining on a budget?  These marrow bones aren’t only good in a base for soup or for the dog to chew on.  And before you say eew! give this recipe a chance.  Many generations have enjoyed roasted marrow and some added it to puddings and pastries.  Have you ever eaten an Italian dish called osso buco (stewed veal shank)?  One of the main attractions of the dish is the prized marrow.  You can also find a marrow bone in a ham steak – one of my favorites.  As a kid (heck, I still do) I recall saving the bone for last so as to savour the cooked marrow. 

While marrow is fat, it is 69 percent unsaturated fat.  Health benefits include vitamin A, immunity-building, repairing wounds, helping with digestion and even fighting cancer.  Taste?  For me, it’s the rich, creamy and sometimes sweet flavor.  Bones are cheap to buy even from your local butcher.  If the butcher doesn’t have any in the display case, ask for some.  Ask to have them cut like the ones shown here or lengthways. When buying the bones, they should smell clean and faintly meaty. The marrow itself should be whitish pink in color; don’t worry if you can see blood spots on the surface, that’s normal.  I just found out now that you can buy marrow spoons!  This dish makes a scrumptious appetizer and is easy on the pocketbook so give it a bash…you and your guests may just like it.

Serves 2
4 marrow bones
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
baguette, thinly sliced and toasted

Preheat oven to 425f. Place bones on a roasting tray and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast 15 to 20 minutes. Marrow is cooked when slightly puffed. Remove from oven and arrange on plates. Use a small knife to spread roasted marrow onto bread slices and serve immediately.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Marrow bones need little in seasoning but you can rub fresh rosemary leaves on warm slices of bread before adding roasted marrow. Bone marrow freezes well in or out of the bone. This is a rich-tasting dish so aim to serve 2 possible 3 bones per person depending on how thick the marrow is.  Enjoy!