Bone Marrow
Yesterday I bought 6 pieces of marrow bones. (One was given raw to my dog, as marrow bones have been proven to be a great recreational bone, keeping dogs busy for hours as they chew happily away -- and it keeps their teeth clean and tartar-free at the same time!) I've been doing a LOT of research and reading about eating bone marrow, which has sadly gone out of practice in modern times, even though it's chock full of goodness. "Bone marrow is a source of protein and high in monounsaturated fats. These fats are known to decrease LDL cholesterol levels resulting in a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease." (Source)
I've ordered Bones: Recipes, History, and Lore by Jennifer Mclagan, which won a James Beard award as the best single subject cookbook of 2005. The cover of the book is a plate of delectable-looking roasted marrow bones. I love this quote from the author in an interview she did: "But when you [...] get to chew on the bone it is something primordial. It takes us back to our ancient wild past as humans. It is a pure basic human pleasure and the basis of the truism 'the closer to the bone, the sweeter is the meat'."
The most common method of preparation is to roast the marrow right in the bone, then use it as a spread on toasted bread. Anthony Bourdain has said that if he were on death row, his last meal would consist of bone marrow (here is his recipe). For something a little fancier, you could also roast it, remove the marrow and mix it with aromatics and mushrooms, then stuff it back into the bone, and serve it that way. I'm also intrigued by this method of removing the marrow from the bone, brining it, rolling it in flour, then sauteing it in oil. Then you spread it on bread to eat.
But perhaps the method that's intrigued me the most is the recipe for Melting Marrow Gremolata, which comes from Judy Rodgers's The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, one of the favorites in my collection of cookbooks. Her recipe has you mixing together a traditional gremolata of garlic, lemon peel, parsley and other seasonings along with chunks of cold bone marrow. You then cook yourself up a nice juicy steak, and spread the marrow gremolata over the steak. The heat melts the marrow and the aromatics spread and bloom over the surface of the meat (paraphrasing now as I don't have the book in front of me).
I've read the recipe over a dozen times and nowhere does it indicate that the "cold marrow" required in the recipe has been cooked before. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's calling for raw marrow. I haven't been able to find much information about human consumption of raw beef marrow. So this was a long, meandering way to ask: Have any of you used bone marrow in this way? I assume it's safe to eat this way if I'm reading the recipe right, but what if I'm not? All she says is that femur bones make the best marrow bones and to have the butcher split them lengthwise so that you can pry out the buttery lumps of marrow with your fingers -- then the recipe follows. It's supposed to melt over the steak, so does it "cook" at that point?
Finally, what are your experiences with bone marrow? Have you had marrow in a way that I didn't mention here? What's your favorite way to eat it?
I've ordered Bones: Recipes, History, and Lore by Jennifer Mclagan, which won a James Beard award as the best single subject cookbook of 2005. The cover of the book is a plate of delectable-looking roasted marrow bones. I love this quote from the author in an interview she did: "But when you [...] get to chew on the bone it is something primordial. It takes us back to our ancient wild past as humans. It is a pure basic human pleasure and the basis of the truism 'the closer to the bone, the sweeter is the meat'."
The most common method of preparation is to roast the marrow right in the bone, then use it as a spread on toasted bread. Anthony Bourdain has said that if he were on death row, his last meal would consist of bone marrow (here is his recipe). For something a little fancier, you could also roast it, remove the marrow and mix it with aromatics and mushrooms, then stuff it back into the bone, and serve it that way. I'm also intrigued by this method of removing the marrow from the bone, brining it, rolling it in flour, then sauteing it in oil. Then you spread it on bread to eat.
But perhaps the method that's intrigued me the most is the recipe for Melting Marrow Gremolata, which comes from Judy Rodgers's The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, one of the favorites in my collection of cookbooks. Her recipe has you mixing together a traditional gremolata of garlic, lemon peel, parsley and other seasonings along with chunks of cold bone marrow. You then cook yourself up a nice juicy steak, and spread the marrow gremolata over the steak. The heat melts the marrow and the aromatics spread and bloom over the surface of the meat (paraphrasing now as I don't have the book in front of me).
I've read the recipe over a dozen times and nowhere does it indicate that the "cold marrow" required in the recipe has been cooked before. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's calling for raw marrow. I haven't been able to find much information about human consumption of raw beef marrow. So this was a long, meandering way to ask: Have any of you used bone marrow in this way? I assume it's safe to eat this way if I'm reading the recipe right, but what if I'm not? All she says is that femur bones make the best marrow bones and to have the butcher split them lengthwise so that you can pry out the buttery lumps of marrow with your fingers -- then the recipe follows. It's supposed to melt over the steak, so does it "cook" at that point?
Finally, what are your experiences with bone marrow? Have you had marrow in a way that I didn't mention here? What's your favorite way to eat it?