Madhouse recipe : Cheesy Chicken & Bacon Stuffed Marrow

After wandering around the local markets in Turkey last week and enthusing over the varieties of fruit and vegetables that I'd never or rarely seen before - white and light purple striped aubergines, round aubergines, courgette flowers, strings and strings of red peppers and chillis drying in the sun, sunflower heads full of seeds ... - I decided to head to our own farmers' market on Sunday to see what was on offer there. Nothing too exotic but I did come back with a couple of marrows. 

This is only the second time I've cooked marrow - I shared my recipe last year for Stuffed Marrow using a sort of Oriental-inspired bolognese sauce (with added raisins and za'atar spice). It was very nice but this year I wanted to try a different filling, using up the leftovers from the fridge (cooked chicken from the Sunday roast and cooked rice, plus a glut of cherry tomatoes from the patio).

Cheesy Chicken & Bacon Stuffed Marrow

ingredients :

1 marrow

200g bacon lardons

2 onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 red pepper, deseeded and chopped

4 mushrooms, quartered

leftover cooked chicken, chopped

a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

2 cups leftover cooked rice

spices of your choice : I used smoked paprika, oregano and Schwartz Spanish seasoning, then threw in the remains of a half-used sachet of Crispy Crumb Fajita Coating 

100g grated cheese

Wash and dry the marrow. Cut off the ends if you like then use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, making sure you don't pierce the skin. Keep the flesh for later.

In a large pan, gently fry the bacon for a couple of minutes until it releases some fat, then add the onions, garlic, red pepper and mushrooms.

 Cook for 5 minutes then add the chicken, scooped-out marrow flesh and halved cherry tomatoes. Cook for a further 5 minutes then add the tinned tomatoes and the rice. Season with the spices (and add salt if necessary, but the bacon might be enough). Cook for 5 minutes for it to reduce slightly.

Put both marrow halves in a roasting tin and use the mixture to stuff them.

Sprinkle with grated cheese and pop in the oven for 1/2 hour until the marrow is soft and the cheese is melted and golden.

As this used up leftover roast chicken, cooked rice and a half-used spice sachet, I'm linking up to the No Waste Food Challenge, which is hosted at Chef Mireille’s East West Realm this month

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Random Recipe challenge : Jewelled Cookie Bars

Madhouse recipe : Fruity Freekeh Mackerel Salad

Applewood Spreadable challenge : Pork & Pumpkin Risotto