Bones_ Recipes, History, and Lore - Jennifer McLagan [21]
3.While the bones are roasting, prepare the parsley salad, if serving it, and toast the bread.
4.Divide the bones among four plates and serve hot, with the optional salad, toast, and fleur de sel. Each diner scoops out the marrow and spreads it on the toast, sprinkling it with the salt.
ο Parsley Salad
I first ate this salad with roasted marrow bones at London’s St. John restaurant. My version is adapted from chef-owner Fergus Henderson’s recipe in his book The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating. Parsley mixed with the pale green leaves from celery hearts and peppery wild arugula cuts through the richness of the marrow. Be sure to use flat-leaf parsley. If the leaves are big, tear them into smaller pieces. Dress the salad just before serving, and be sparing with the salt because of the fleur de sel that will top the marrow.
3 cups (750 ml) mixed flat-leaf parsley, celery (pale green), and arugula leaves
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
2 teaspoons capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed and chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.Place the leaves, shallot, and capers in a medium bowl. Whisk together the oil and lemon juice in a glass measuring cup or a small bowl, then season very lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.
Poached Marrow Bones
ο You can poach marrow bones in simmering salted water instead of roasting them, but they must still be soaked in advance. Poach them for 15 minutes or so, depending on the thickness of the bones; drain well before serving.
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Fleur de Sel
This is the French name for the first harvest of salt produced in the coastal regions of France by evaporating seawater in a series of ponds. Harvested by hand, fleur de sel is prized for its crunchy texture and delicate taste. Full of minerals, this expensive salt is used only as a condiment, not for cooking. The most famous fleur de sel comes from the salt marshes of Guérande and the islands of Noirmoutier and Ré. While the salt is traditional with marrow bones in France, any good sea salt can accompany them. Maldon salt, a flaky-textured English salt, also goes well with the roasted bones and parsley salad.
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Marrow Toppings
ο Gremolata
ο The traditional accompaniment to the classic Italian dish osso buco is gremolata, a garnish of chopped parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. The gremolatas in this book (pages 42 and 237) also go well with roasted marrow bones.
ο Ginger and Salt
ο At Michel Bras’ eponymous restaurant outside Laiguiole in central France, a blend of finely chopped fresh ginger and fleur de sel is served as accompaniment to marrow bones. It’s perfect: the heat of the ginger cuts the marrow’s richness.
ο Mustard-Lemon Bread Crumbs
The bread crumbs soak up the fat that escapes from the marrow bones as they roast.
Stir together ½ cup (40 g) fresh bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, and freshly ground black pepper to taste in a small bowl. The crumbs should just hold together when squeezed; if not, add a little more lemon juice. Top each of the marrow bones with some of this mixture after the first 10 minutes of roasting.
MARROW SPOONS
Eating marrow has helped man survive harsh climatic conditions. It’s easy to imagine early man just smashing open bones and sucking out their marrow. The Copper Inuit of Northern Canada, dependent on marrow for survival, carved marrow spoons from wood, with a two-pointed fork at one end to spear the meat in the cooking pot and a channeled spatula