Three Places Serving Up Bone Marrow. Yes, Bone Marrow.

After reading a great article about reducing food waste by Julie Van Rosendaal, I made it one of my top New Year’s resolutions to do just that.  Combined with other typical resolves like being more frugal and trying new things, it had me thinking about how one can use all of the parts of an animal when cooking.

In many countries it’s commonplace to eat the organs, brains and even eyeballs of animals and fish. I don’t think brains will be on my plate any time soon (if you’ve ever seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom you will understand), but I noticed bone marrow on a menu recently on my walk to work.

Bone marrow is not your standard fare, so I was rather intrigued by this option and began to hunt for more places serving it up.  Pretty sure Old Mother Hubbard would be proud.

My first stop was The Libertine Public House where I ordered the Roasted Marrow Bones.  They were served with arugula salad, in-house pickled radish, Himalayan pink salt, and crostini and actually arrived with their own special instruction sheet which I thought was a nice touch.

Basically you spread the marrow, which was very rich, oily,  and kind of gelatinous on the crostini, top with arugala salad, pickled radish and a sprinkle of salt.  I tried all elements combined and on their own and I really enjoyed the flavours.

Not sure how many other freaks are out there, but as a kid, when my mom would cook a nice standing rib roast, my brothers and I would fight over who got to chew on the string that held the roast together after it was done cooking.  That is what the bone marrow tasted like to me.  Meaty, fatty and delicious.  It’s definitely an appetizer that should be shared, due to its richness.

Next stop was CHARCUT Roast House, which served up a Bone Marrow and Escargot au Gratin with Garlic Brioche Toast.  This was served in a similar fashion, but with a parsley salad with fried capers.

The CHARCUT marrow had a thicker consistancy and the escargot added a bit more substance to it.  A very unique indulgence.

And last, but not least, the item that got it all started, the Bone Marrow Mashed Potatoes at HOME Tasting Room.

Normally they are served as part of a meal, but they were kind enough to allow me to order them as a side dish, along with some other fantastic sharing plates.  I am a self-proclaimed mashed potato whore, so the fact that these were absolute perfection was not much of a surprise to me. The bone marrow really enhanced the flavour and made these a decadent treat.

It’s no wonder dogs spend hours gnawing on bones, eagerly anticipating the moment when they get to the high-cal, nutrient dense centre. While dogs might not be a man’s best friend when it comes to choosing meals…um, they eat their own poop and drink out of the toilet, I think they’re they’re on to something here.

Ingredients like this make you really think twice about how disassociated we’ve become from what we consume. We often toss out perfectly good food without a second thought and, more disturbingly, without even considering it as food.

Upon further investigation, I have learned that you can purchase bones (without having to buy a roast or other cut of meat) quite cheaply at most grocery stores.

Can’t wait to serve up this tasty Cro-Magnon snack one night and see what the boyfriend says. Pretty sure his inner caveman will be all over it!

Love food?  Check out The Big Taste, Calgary’s Dining Festival coming up soon from March 2-12, 2012.

Tagged as: bone marrow, CHARCUT, HOME Tasting Room, The Libertine, weird food