Cooking the Unthinkable: Bone Marrow
Cooking the Unthinkable is a series that examines some of the more eccentric ingredients. Whether you are a fan of the bizarre or are preparing for the eminent collapse of Western society this series will help you better stomach weird food.
If you watch enough cooking contests you know that there are two ingredients that never fail to give judges the culinary equivalent to an erection. The first is sea urchin (more on that HERE). The other is bone marrow. Sea urchin isn’t the easiest thing to get your hand on but bone marrow is.
The name “bone marrow” is not a euphemistic title for some fern bar dish, like calling stuffed jalapenos Armadillo Eggs. It is exactly what the name implies, the actual marrow from inside a bone. It is usually served as an appetizer and in Manhattan it’ll run you between $15 and $25 for an order. That’s ridiculous since you can buy marrow bones for four for about $5 (American).
So why would someone want to eat bone marrow? It’s easy to take the high road and click off the long list of health benefits but I figure if you are interested in that you can just click HERE. The main reason to eat the marrow is that it’s is utterly amazing. The marrow is what makes BBQ ribs so lip smacking good. It’s the difference between beef flavored stock and a rich, 
hearty beef stock. So don’t kid yourself that you’ve never eaten it because you have just maybe not roasted by itself and spread on toast points like a dip.
I paid $3.50 for three marrow bones at the butcher section of my grocer. I roasted them at 425 for about 20 minutes. I toasted some garlic naan, spread the marrow and topped it with a salsa of finely diced onions, sesame oil, sriracha and cilantro with a sprinkle of kosher salt to finish it off. Yeah I know, that does sound great.
My good friend, John Mitzewich, has done a terrific video showing you the basics of roasting marrow at home on his awarding winning (2 Tastys!) webcast Foodwishes:
The TASTYs – What a Night!
It was a night of glamor, humor and networking. It was the TASTYs!
What happens when you get Jolene Sugarbaker (the Trailer Park Queen), Average Betty, the Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, Chef John of Foodwishes and the Bikini Chef together? I wish I could tell you.
It’s not a secret – one of those “what happens at the TASTYs stays at the TASTYs” scenarios. Nor is it the result of alcohol-amnesia albeit not for a lack of trying. The entire evening was such a blur that my feeble mind struggles to put things together. My memories seem like one of those flash back episodes that sitcom’s do when everyone wants a week off.
Here’s a short rundown on the celebs I hung with:
- Manouschka Guerrier and Sasha Perl-Raver of The Private Chefs of Beverly Hills are far more beautiful in real life than on the tube. They are both extremely sweet as well while oozing sex appeal. Chef Stuart O’Keeffe was also there and the few femmes not hooked on his James Bond looks were undone by his Irish brogue.
- Jolene Sugarbaker was a huge hit in LA! Her humor is so natural and genuine that everyone wanted their picture taken with her. A true original who refuses to let corporate bigwigs force her into the cookie cutter molds they so love.
- Chef Nathan Lyon of PBS’ Growing a Greener World and Discovery Health’s A Lyon in the Kitchen appears to be the next big chef sex symbol. His easy style and and charming mannerisms were even noticeable in a town filled with those traits. He’s also a great guy with an inspiring message about knowing the person who grows your lettuce. This cat is also hysterically funny.
Sara O’Donnell, known to the world as Average Betty, was like the hippest chick in high school – funny and unpretentious. She is the female friend that guys love to hang out with which is shocking since her long shapely legs and seductive red locks drew more second glances than the runway models on hand for the fashion side of the awards. She was stunning! Let that be a lesson to you model-types – eat a F’ing sandwich!- What can one say about Chef John? The most humble guy ever. He’s so good at teaching people how to cook that they never notice they are learning something. If there is a word that sums up John it has to be “wholesome.” Just a real guy with a charm that sneaks up on you. And I’m not just saying that because he promised me a bottle of his wife’s new San Francisco style BBQ sauce.
- Bobby Bognar of the History Channel’s Food Tech posses all the cool I have come to expect from musicians. He’s as funny as a stand-up comedian, a good one, too, not like Pauly Shore. He has that every-guy appeal that makes you want to be his friend. He also seems like a good guy to have at your back in a bar room brawl.
Susan Irby was sporting her trademark Bikini Chef jacket with strategically placed see-through polka-dots that reveal just a hint of her hard body. The brilliance of her jacket is that it doesn’t really offer a glimpse of the scandalous lady-parts but bewitches you with promise of more. One photog remarked to me that she beams like the sun; an understatement. Susan made sure I got to meet Wolfgang Puck and introduced me to the people that mattered at the pre-awards reception. She took me into the Hollywood Hills so I could see everything LA has to offer in one awe-inspiring view. Thanks for keeping me from looking like a rube.
This is but a capsule of the great people and sites of the evening. There’s more to come. I mean, I still have two more days to kill and I don’t plan on spending them tapping on a laptop from my hotel room when Los Angeles is just outside my window. I’m off to find a taco!
