Anthony Bourdain’s Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad

NOTE: The photo above is how the dish turned out in the My Last Supper kitchen, and may look different than as envisioned by the original chef.

NOTE: The photo above is how the dish turned out in the My Last Supper kitchen, and may look different than as envisioned by the original chef.

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 3

  • 12 3-in/7 ½-cm pieces veal marrowbone

  • 1 Bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked from the stems

  • 2 Shallots, peeled and very thinly sliced

  • 2 Tbsp /30 g capers

  • 2 Tbsp /30 ml extra-virgin olive oil

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • Coarse sea salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • Toasted bread to serve with the bones

DIRECTIONS:

To Prepare the Bones:

  • Put the marrowbone pieces in an ovenproof frying pan or roasting pan and place in a 450°F/230°C oven.  The roasting process should take about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bone.  You are looking for the marrow to be loose and giving, but not melted away, which it will do if cooked too long.  Traditionally the ends of the bones would be covered to prevent any seepage, but I like the brown coloring and crispness at the ends.

To Prepare the Parsley Salad:

  • While the bones are roasting, lightly chop the parsley — just enough to discipline it — and mix it with the shallots and capers.  Immediately before serving, dress the salad with the olive oil and lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

  • This is a dish that should not be completely seasoned before leaving the kitchen, rendering a last-minute seasoning necessary by the actual eater.  My approach is to scrape the marrow from the bone onto the toast and season it with coarse sea salt.  Then I put a pinch of parsley salad on top and eat it right away.  Of course, once you have your pile of bones, salad, toast, and salt, it is diner’s choice.

Melanie Dunea