What are you cooking now?

[teamsaint]

is that made with an ornamental fowl ?

and would it grace any table?

[Alain Maréchal]

but all I have got is two marrows.

Any suggestions as to how to make them slightly interesting gratefully received.

Peel the marrows and discard the skin, cut in two lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. Then throw away the flesh as well.
With apologies to Samuel Johnson.

Still marooned north of the channel, (marooned being le mot juste ce soir), at Madame's emailed suggestion I am making ratatouille to cheer myself up. It hasn't really worked; the cheering up part, that is, not even with a nice fruity Cote Roannaise. I loathe winter, and autumn is its harbinger.

[MrGongGong]

Peel the marrows and discard the skin, cut in two lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. Then throw away the flesh as well.
.

Classic French cookery innit

Though the real French version would have you saute the seeds in butter , garlic, grey Guerande salt and black truffle shavings. Add a slice of foie gras and sear, set aside, deglaze the pan with muscat and set aside, take a small teaspoon of the liquor from deglazing and sprinkle this on a slice of toasted brioche............ (Harry's if none other available)

[jean]

I'm hoping that jean will report in later on her soup for the allotment holders (I do hope they are not planning to eat al fresco in this weather!)

It wasn't just for us, it was for our visitors as well. We had two gazebos which did not blow away once we tied them to the railings. And it didn't rain all the time.

I've made marrow and roasted garlic soup before and it was lovely, but I am wondering if it's worth the trouble of roasting the garlic for this?

Depends on how much you want to impress the allotment holders re the roasted garlic? Are you standing for office?

It's a long story...I already have the office, but the treasurer promptly resigned on my being voted in and has devoted his life since to trying to getting rid of me, so as to return in triumph surrounded by his henchmen (I think I asked on the Tech board how to get rid of his Hotmail avatar, and how to change the password so he couldn't continue to spy on me). This Open Day, he hoped, would be a dismal failure and another nail in my coffin.

It wasn't though, despite the weather and the fact that it was the first one I'd tried to organise. The soup, which as well as onions, garlic (roasted), carrot, marrow and cabbage leaves eventually had the addition of some celery and a lot of thyme I was given, received more praise than I thought it deserved. I kept it quite thin so it could be drunk. I forgot the cream, but it was probably best kept vegan, because there are a lot of them around.

Someone made kebabs which we barbecued, and others made salads, and there were some really excellent cakes. There was the communal jam we'd made from the blackberries we'd collected together, and other preserves too. We had a good selection of donated produce - potatoes, kale, marrows, runner beans, rhubarb, plums and apples, and we made about £250. Without my knowledge, OH bought an enormous Chinese melon which I shall now have to find out what to do with, so that will be my next cooking project.

Advice please.


.

[Alain Maréchal]

[QUOTE=MrGongGong;332990,take a small teaspoon of the liquor from deglazing and sprinkle this on a slice of toasted brioche............ (Harry's if none other available)[/QUOTE]

Not as odd as one might think: midway through my cooking I was wondering why go to the trouble of reducing the liquid, when also trying to baste the ingredients with it, and simultaneously trying not to turn everything into mush. I decided the secret is to persevere and not to take one's eye off the pot for more than ten seconds. Anyway it was delicous, and when the remainder is reheated tonight will be even more so. It did nothing to hide the utter dreariness of the english weather.

[Barbirollians]

Marrow is a filthy tasteless watery monster of a vegetable and only fit for the compost heap .

[amateur51]

Marrow is a filthy tasteless watery monster of a vegetable and only fit for the compost heap .

But the stuffing is usually jolly tasty (well something has to be )

[gurnemanz]

Marrow is a filthy tasteless watery monster of a vegetable and only fit for the compost heap .

An extreme statement but one I am inclined to agree with. Vigilance is required. Over the years, I have discovered how a perfectly acceptable courgette can transmute into a gross marrow almost overnight. If you go away on holiday, you will return to find giant marrows proliferating like alien invaders. This is one reason why I have stopped growing them. If buying courgettes, I will pick out only the smallest ones, 4-5 inches for optimum flavour and a bit of crunch.

[Anna]

OH bought an enormous Chinese melon which I shall now have to find out what to do with, so that will be my next cooking project.
Advice please.

jean, I'm afraid I cannot help here, I'd never heard of (or even seen) a Chinese melon, in fact I had to google it. There are a lot of recipes online however, mainly soups or stir fry from what I could see, I can't see it would have much of a distinctive taste, I think technically it's a gourd?
I am glad your soup and Open Day was a success - my neigbour has been an allotment holder for about 5 years and is now on the Committee so I do hear tales of intrigue and back-stabbings .....
All is not sweetness and light amongst the compost!

[Barbirollians]

An extreme statement but one I am inclined to agree with. Vigilance is required. Over the years, I have discovered how a perfectly acceptable courgette can transmute into a gross marrow almost overnight. If you go away on holiday, you will return to find giant marrows proliferating like alien invaders. This is one reason why I have stopped growing them. If buying courgettes, I will pick out only the smallest ones, 4-5 inches for optimum flavour and a bit of crunch.

Indeed courgettes are lovely - they are the vegetable equivalent of a reverse ugly duckling !

[Nick Armstrong]

courgettes are lovely

Not keen

[Barbirollians]

Fry- sliced or in batons- with a couple of cloves of chopped garlic in some olive oil until starting to soften . Thrown is half the quantity of chopped fresh tomatoes and cook until they have made a sauce . Season and thrown in a handful of chopped black olives . Good old Elizabeth David .

[amateur51]

Not keen

Does m'Learned Friend enjoy any vegetables?

3-1 chips triple-fried
5-1 roast potatoes
5-1 mashed potatoes
5-1 new potatoes
6-1 baked potatoes
10-1 gnocchi

[Nick Armstrong]

Does m'Learned Friend enjoy any vegetables?

3-1 chips triple-fried
5-1 roast potatoes
5-1 mashed potatoes
5-1 new potatoes
6-1 baked potatoes
10-1 gnocchi

I eat very few spuds as it happens.

Can't stand celery.

So so about courgettes.

Love the rest (I think). Have I made admissions in the past which tend to undermine the latter assertion?

[amateur51]

I eat very few spuds as it happens.

Can't stand celery.

So so about courgettes.

Love the rest (I think). Have I made admissions in the past which tend to undermine the latter assertion?

Lord loves ya, young Sir, so you 'ave :doffscapemoticon: