ROASTED MARROW STUFFED WITH MINCED CHICKEN, COURGETTES AND PERSIAN SABZI POLOW

Whenever I make this dish people ask me for the recipe. I must say it is one of the easiest things to cook and the flavours are surprisingly intense. Marrows are an under rated vegetable. I find they are abundant at this time of year and their delicate flavour lends itself well to experimentation. If you can’t get hold of marrow you could stuff the rice inside tomatoes or peppers and roast in the oven for slightly longer.

Serves 4 - 6

1 marrow

1 cup of cooked basmati rice

1 cup of raw minced chicken

1 courgette

1 preserved lemon diced finely

1 handful finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 handful coriander

3 tablespoons barberries

Olive oil

1 pinch turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

Half the marrow, scoop out the seeds in the centre, drizzle olive oil and roast in a 180 degree oven for 30mins or until the marrow softens. Keep aside.

Dice the courgette into small pieces and fry until golden in some olive oil. Transfer courgettes into a bowl. Add the barberries to the warm courgettes and mix in the boiled rice and preserved lemon.

In the same pan that the courgettes were fried in, add in the mince chicken with a pinch of turmeric. Allow the chicken mince to cook through and add it into the rice mixture with the finely chopped herbs. Pile the rice onto the marrow and return to the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.  Serve immediately.