Spoil your tastebuds with the rich, savoury flavours of this classic dish that combines the luxurious taste of marrow bones with a touch of sweetness from port wine.
Slow-roasted marrow bones are cooked to perfection, allowing the rich, buttery marrow to melt and infuse with the deep, caramelised notes of the port. Served alongside freshly baked beer bread, the subtle bitterness of the beer perfectly balances the richness of the marrow.
Marrow bones in port with beer bread
Ingredients
Beer bread
- 500g self-raising flour
- 1 x 340ml can beer
- 15ml (1 tbsp) salt
- 1 x 420g tin cream-style sweet corn
Marrow bones
- 20 marrow bones
- 30ml (2 tbsp) butter, melted
- 30ml (2 tbsp) cake flour
- 500ml (2 cups) ruby port
- 500ml (2 cups) good-quality beef stock
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
For the bread, mix the flour, beer, salt and corn in a bowl, being careful not to over-mix – the dough should be a bit lumpy and chunky. Allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes.
Place the dough into a lightly buttered loaf tin or baking dish (or use ramekins, buckets or tins) and bake until it has a deep golden colour on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 30 – 40 minutes. Set aside to keep warm.
Increase the oven temperature to 200°C and roast the marrow bones in the oven until browned and a little crispy, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the butter with the flour in a large pot, mixing well to form a smooth paste. Cook for a few minutes before slowly whisking in the port a little at a time to form a smooth emulsion. Once all the port is added, stir in the stock and allow the sauce to reduce by half.
Place the cooked marrow bones in the sauce and cook gently until the sauce is thick and luxurious. Serve with the hot bread.
ALSO SEE: Pan-fried marrowbones
