According to anthropologists, early humans were scavangers rather than hunters. Bone marrow was a major source of protein for tool-using humans. Thank goodness we are no longer scavengers, and don’t need to break open bones left over from carcasses left by lions.
Bone marrow is still considered food in many cultures. For example, the Vietnamese prize beef bone as the soup base for their soup noodle dish called pho. It is also featured in the Italian dish ossobuco, which is braised veal shanks. For the French, beef marrowbones are often included in the pot-au-feu broth, the cooked marrow being traditionally eaten on toasted bread with sprinkled coarse sea salt. Nowadays, bone marrow can still be found in many gourmet restaurants and is popular among foodies. Most often, I’ve seen it roasted and served with toast and parsley salad.
I was at the local grocery store during my lunch break and saw that they were selling beef marrow bones. Seeing as they were cheap and I wanted to try something different, I picked up a pack. I skipped the toast, I just scooped it out and mixed it in with my spaghetti squash. It was yummo.
Roasted Bone Marrow
8 to 12 center-cut beef or veal marrow bones, 3 inches long, 3 to 4 pounds total
Coarse sea salt
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Put bones, cut side up, on foil-lined baking sheet or in ovenproof skillet. Cook until marrow is soft and has begun to separate from the bone, about 20 -25 minutes. Watch it carefully, you want to stop roasting before the marrow starts drizzling out of the bones.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Serve with toast or in my case scooped on top of spaghetti squash.
I love marrow! Although it’s been a long time since I’ve had any… I guess I’ll need to do something about it!
@Valerie – It is super easy to do and super cheap to get, definitely go pick some up. I always see them at IGA
I have looked for them, but no one sells them in my part of the world. They do sell bones for soup, which seem to me to be a shorter version of the marrow bone. I suppose that would work if I watched the cooking time?
@Trish – I don’t see why it would not work as long as you watched it to make sure the marrow does not melt into nothing. The other thing you can do is ask your local butcher to cut them to your specifications. A good butcher will usually comply if you call them in advance and ask.