Marrows are unglamorous – there’s no point in beating around the bush with this one. They’re an overgrown courgette, a by-product, unwieldy and full of fluff (literally). They’re not exactly packed with flavour either – Jane Grigson is ruthless in her description of them: 'The Bunter of the kitchen garden has little to be said for it. Some cookery writers define its flavour as ‘delicate’. This carries politeness too far.'
I had thought about describing marrow as delicate but shan’t now. Grigson’s bile on marrows continues but I’ll leave it there before everyone is put off trying to cook any of the following recipes!
I do think Grigson goes a bit far with her vitriol against marrows – they are never going to be the most exciting of vegetables but they’re not that offensive either. Their main redeeming feature is that they are great flavour carriers and so you can use them as a canvas for some of your favourite things. I also associate marrows with comfort, as a white sauce is often called for and this is in itself a great soother. Finally, they are cheap, which is a definite benefit! You can make a generous dinner for a crowd and it won’t cost the earth.
The following recipes are a few of my favourite way of manipulating marrow into delicious dishes.
