Crafts and Life

1 x 2kg marrow

Stuffing

1.5 kg good beef shin on the bone, chopped into 3-4 pieces (by the butcher)

olive oil

1 large onion, peeled

2 good garlic cloves, peeled

third cinnamon stick

1 small teaspoon cumin seeds

2 heaped teaspoons hot smoked paprika

fiely grated rind and juice of half a lemon

1 conservative handful of raisins

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

half a tomato tin of water

a heavy, heavy grind of black pepper

100g stale bread

1 teaspoon celery salt

2 heaped teaspoons large-flaked sea salt

Method

Select beef shin pieces with a good lot of bone marrow, as this is tasty and keeps the beef moist when cooking.  Get a large lidded flameproof casserole, put it on a low heat and pour a generous slug of olice oil into the bottom.  Put in the pieces of shin.  Finely dice the onion and garlic, then add to the pot.  It is not the aim to brown the meat at all but to let everything slowlycome to heat and cook gently.  Chick in the remaining ingredients, except for the bread and both salts.  Put the lid on the casserole and turn the largest gas flame or hob to as low as it can go, just so that the stew is bubbling away slowly in the pot.   Cook this for 3 hours.

Smash up all the bread to crumb size in a food processor or by any other method necessary.  (If it is not totally stale, not to worry, but you really don't want freshbread; if it is new and soft, rip it up and dry it out a little in the oven.)  Put the crumbs to one side.

When the shin has braised, allow it to cool completely.  When cooled,pick up the meat, which should easily come away from the bone.  Pinch each piece between thumb and forefinger to break it up and string it out a bit.  Throw away any unsavoury bits, but not before you extraced every last piece of meat.  Do this over the sauce so that the meat falls back in.  Make sure any marrow hiding in the bones has been poked out into the meat and gravy.  Try not to eat it all.  Season the filling with the salts.  Don't be alarmed by the amount of salt as marrow dishes need it.  Add the breadcrumbs to the pot where it will firm up the sloppiness, giving the stuffing a nice texture.

Preheat the oven too 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Split the marrow evenly down the middle from end to end (your would be wise to choose as straight a marrow as possible, as it will be easier to deal with than one that is skew-whiff).  With a spoon, scrape out the seeds and pith from down the middle of each marrow half.

Double over and lay a sheet of foil across an oven tray, with long enough sides overlapping the tray that they might be gathered around the assembled marrow and folded on top.  Oil the sheet lightly whre the marrow's underside will sit.  Place the marrow on the awaiting foil.  Fill the marrow with as much of the meat stuffing as you can.  Don't worry, the foil will keep all present and correct.  (If the filling is fridge-cold, bring it to room temperature first; otherwise you would have to overcook the marrow.)  Gather the foild around the middle of the marrow and fold over on the top to secure all.  Yes I realise the ends of the marrow are sticking out.  Cook the marrow in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes; it is cooked when a skewer slides in with the tiniest resistance, but not like a knife through warm butter.

It can be tricky to release the marrow from the foil once it has been cooked.  Put the whole thing on a serving dish with the foil and open it at the table.  Cut in slices, and there you have it.  Eat with cold bottled beer.

Taken from "What to Eat Know" by Valentine Warner – serves 4 to 6