Readers Plate

Roasted Bone Marrow with toast points, and dressings (from top to bottom) Garlic & Parsley, Oyster Mushrooms & Thyme, Garlic & Olive Oil, and Port Wine & Balsamic Vinegar. Roasted Bone Marrow and Garlic & Parsley dressing recipe on page 9. Others can be found on edibleindy.com

Bone marrow feels right at home

BY ERICA SAGON

Roasted bone marrow is often seen as one of those must-order dishes when dining out simply because the delicacy seems too tricky to prepare at home.

Joe Moore of Carmel, a home cook who is always up for challenge and adventure when it comes to food, makes a good case for preparing bone marrow in your own kitchen. This impressive dish simply couldn’t be easier to make, says Moore, who co-owns Meridian Design Group salons in downtown Indianapolis and Carmel with his wife and son.

The toughest part might be finding the bones, but calling ahead to a butcher shop is all it takes (Moore uses Joe’s Butcher Shop in Carmel). A butcher will cut beef or veal bones crosswise into thick discs to reveal the marrow, which is the soft, edible tissue inside.

At home, the bones can be roasted in the oven, which softens the tissue into a silky spread that is then scooped out, smoothed onto toasted bread and topped with a simple parsley salad.

“Bone marrow is meaty; it’s buttery. It’s got a very delicate taste,” Moore says. “Foie gras is one of the first things that comes to mind.”

Moore made bone marrow recently when his daughter, Haley, and her husband, Jeremy, hosted a dinner party. Haley is Danica Patrick’s publicist and Danica and her husband were guests that night, after racing in Kentucky that day. “We had a fun evening cooking something unusual,” Moore says. After the marrow is gone, another crowd gets the leftovers.

“Once you cook the bones, they’re indestructible,” he says. “We’re big dog lovers in our family, so we give the bones to the dogs when we’re done. They’re as happy as I am.”

ROASTED BONE MARROW

Recipe by Joe Moore Serves 10

20-25 pieces of beef bones with marrow, cut into 2-inch pieces Coarse kosher salt, to taste 6–8 whole garlic cloves 2–3 long sprigs of rosemary Crusty bread cut into slices and toasted, for serving Parsley salad, for garnish*

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. Arrange the bones cut-side up in a roasting pan. Lightly sprinkle the bones with salt, then add the garlic and rosemary to the pan. 2. Roast the bones for about 30 minutes, until the marrow is soft and the dish is bubbling. 3. Serve the bone marrow with the parsley salad and toast. To eat, scoop out the marrow with a small fork or spoon, spread on the toast and top with parsley salad.

* Make the parsley salad by mixing together 1 cup chopped parsley; 2–3 cloves garlic, chopped; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; juice of half a lemon; sea salt and black pepper to taste.