Marvellous Marrows

It’s that time of year when the courgettes in the veg patch have absorbed all of that lovely summer rain and swollen into marrows. This makes them a little bit watery, dilutes the flavour a bit but makes them perfect for stuffing or if you’re a Magyar, you make tökfőzelék. Yep. It’s yet another variation on the főzelék theme. There are lots. And yes, lucky people, I’m going to be sharing them all….

Like the spinach főzelék I wrote about in the last post, tökfőzelék was not a favourite of my two younger sisters. Me tho? Love it. It was another dish that Papi and I enjoyed together and every time I make it, I think of him. I haven’t got any marrow related tales to tell, so I’m going to entertain you with the story of my father’s first foray into communal collegiate dining.

Following his escape from Hungary in the winter of 1956/57, my father and several friends ended up in Barnsley. As medical students, they were recruited from the refugee camp in Austria as potential medics for the Yorkshire mines by the British Coal Board, and driven to England in a double decker red bus. In a contrast to today’s anti-migrant rhetoric, these Hungarian students were welcomed into the UK, possibly due to a slight sense of guilt for not rescuing Hungary from the Soviet tanks. Before they actually went down the mines, they had to learn English, and the technique employed was to date the local girls. Luckily, before too many Yorkshire dads had to get the shotguns out, the universities of Britain got together to offer all Hungarian university students places to continue their education.

My father often said he was lucky, certainly many of his tales involved an element of luck, and in this case, he got chatting to a man on a train who subsequently invited him to interview for a place at Keble College, Oxford. Naturally, he got in, and was given a scholarship to allow him to live in the college rooms and enjoy the dining rooms. I may have mentioned that my father liked to eat. He was an enthusiastic glutton, and following a somewhat lean period as a refugee, he was thrilled to face the High Table at Keble and explore the delights (I’m being ironic) of post war British cuisine. Mutton featured heavily and a pot of Coleman’s mustard was placed on the tables. In Hungary we have mustard, but it’s the mild, Germanic style Senf, that you can slather on bread and eat. Mutton was a new experience, and perhaps not the tastiest one. Spotting the mustard, my father dolloped spoonfuls onto his plate, spread it over the mutton and ate. The dining room came to a fascinated halt as he threw his chair back, grabbed the floral display on the side board, tossed out the flowers and drank down the vase water. There may have been some swearing. Suffice to say, he was noticed.

Anyway, back to marrows. As I mentioned, not the most delicious of vegetables but treated right, they can be. I don’t advocate slathering it in Coleman’s mustard but I do recommend this sour, herby treatment.

Tökfőzelék serves 4

• 

• 

750g marrow or large courgettes – peel if the skin is tough and core – removing any seeds. Grate into a sieve or colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to sit for about half an hour. This draws out some of the excess water and helps prevent the marrow being too soggy. Melt 1 dsp of lard (or veg oil) in a large pan – I use a Le Creuset casserole – over a low heat, and add 1 diced onion. Stir well and cook until the onion is softened and golden – don’t let it catch or it will make the dish bitter. Add 3 heaped tsp of Hungarian paprika, again, keep it moving as paprika burns very quickly and 2 dsp of plain flour to make a thickish paste. Tip in the drained marrow, and continue stirring. It will stick at first but as the heat penetrates, more juices will come out of the marrow, making a thick sauce. Add 3 tbsp of white malt vinegar (or white wine vinegar), stir well, then add 300ml of sour cream and 2 heaped tbsp of chopped dill. If dill really isn’t your thing, you can substitute thyme or marjoram but in this case, just 1 tbsp will do. Put the lid on the pan , and let everything simmer gently away for about 15 minutes – stirring occasionally. Taste and then add 2 tsp of sugar, and another 1 dsp of vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. You may find yourself adding more sugar or vinegar – it should taste sweet and sour, creamy and herby. Honestly. I can’t explain it any better. Serve as is with hunks of bread to mop up or, my personal favourite, with smoked bacon or sausage on the side.