This super-simple dish takes me straight back to Poland, it is warm September, we are spending time in our little cottage in a small village. The kitchen is very small and basic, so whatever we would cook, must be simple. Local greengrocers will be full of seasonal fruit and veg, fresh from the field, an absolute dream. Late August and September can only mean one thing- the sweetest, most juicy tomatoes and marrow. You will be surprised what a wonderful plate of food those two ingredients can make. This marrow and tomato quick stew is light, full of fresh herbs, pure celebration of Indian Summer! Make sure to read through the blog to get all tips and how-to!
Light and quick Summer dish
This marrow and tomato quick stew is a perfect midweek lunch or a light dinner. It takes less than 30 minutes to come together and you will only use one pan! I love when food celebrates simplicity and pure flavours of vegetables. Sure, every now and then I love a bit more complicated dishes and complex processes, but nothing excites me more than vegetables in their pure form. Marrow is buttery soft and mild. You could say that it doesn’t taste of anything, but it just needs the flavours brought up. Fresh in-season tomatoes will do their magic, but if you cannot find really good sweet juicy ones, tinned cherry tomatoes will work perfectly fine. Dill adds to this marrow and tomato quick stew wonderful herby aromas so be sure to use a big, vibrant fresh bunch. Unlike other stews, that have to cook for hours to develop deep and rich flavour, this one is the opposite. Marrow cooks fast, and tomatoes will fall apart creating sweet sauce in no time.
Few tips on marrow
If you’ve never cooked with marrow before, don’t worry, it is not scary or complicated! It is very similar to a courgette, after all, it’s the same family. You need to peel marrow however and get rid of the spongy inside part. Cut the marrow lengthways and simply scoop the soft part out. You can add it to a smoothie or a vegetable soup that you will want to blend at the end. Cut into semi-circles ensuring they are chunky, so the marrow tomato quick stew doesn’t turn into a mash. Because marrow is a bit harder than a courgette, it holds the shape really well, so you get beautifully soft and crunchy chunks of marrow. In the first few minutes of frying marrow, try not to stir it too often, let it golden and seal. Then, it will stew in tomato juices. Follow me on Instagram for daily unique vegetables inspiration!
What else can be added to marrow and tomato quick stew
This stew is so delicious, that I hardly ever add anything else to it, however, my mum used to make it with sausage or peppers. Now, I of course won’t be adding any meat to my stew, but I can see the appeal. Make this a bit more substantial, so if you got any forgotten vegan sausages in the freezer, it’s the perfect time to use them up. Around September time, small, yellow peppers would be in abundance in Poland, and they are perfect for stews. Their skin is a bit too hard to eat raw. Once cooked, they turn into the sweetest and buttery peppers you’ve ever had. But, quite frankly, any peppers will work here. Butter beans will work amazingly here! It is traditional to add yellow beans to this marrow and tomato quick stew, they are much softer than the green ones. But, experiment here, as I promise you- nothing can go wrong here.
How to serve this marrow and tomato quick stew?
My absolute favourite way of eating this marrow and tomato quick stew is with a good baguette or sourdough, nothing more satisfying than mopping all the sauce with bread. But I also love cooking some new potatoes and serving them on the same plate, mashing them gently with every scoop of my stew. Buttery, creamy mash would be just ideal here. This stew is delicious straight after, but it will deepen the flavours the next day, so be sure to make a lot! To me, this is a perfect main dish, but it is also great as a side dish if you are making some bbq, it will go perfectly with vegan steaks or ribs, as it tastes so well cold. I love how versatile it is!
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