# Swiss Chard and Bone Marrow



## JohnnyChance (Mar 27, 2011)

My best friend and fellow chef Ed and I had dinner last night. We were just going to wing it, no real plan or menu. On thursday, something popped into my mind and I called Ed and told him "I want swiss chard and bone marrow." So that's what we started with. Let's see what else we came up with.

Diced pancetta (and 300mm Hiro suji)






Brussel sprouts (and Miyabi Fusion paring)





Swiss Chard (Hiro again)





Sprouts roasted.





Pancetta rendered.





Brussel sprouts are best served with nice salty, fatty bits of cured pork. 





Rough chop Chard.





Some halved grape tomatoes.





I kinda skipped some photos, but here is my plate. Roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta, fingerling potatoes, and sauteed swiss chard with onions and tomatoes.





That all seems a little too healthy. I mean, look at all those vegetables! Okay, how about some marrow?





I use beef bones, I actually like them better than veal bones. I got them at a local butcher, and when I went up to pay, the cashier asked me what kind of dog I had. They have them labeled as dog bones. Some marrow spread on a crostini:





This crostini is a little overloaded, but we only had one left and I put all of the remaining marrow onto it. Sprinkle on a little sea salt, and you are good to go! If you have never tried marrow, I highly recommend it. The bones are cheap, easy to prepare, and it is oh so good.





And now we need dessert. How about beer floats? Just like root beer floats you had as a kid, but for adults. You want a stout, and the rich sweet/coffee flavored ones. I have some '04-'05 Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout in the fridge, 1 12oz bottle is plenty for 2 desserts. We used both vanilla and coffee ice creams from "The Farmer's Cow". The Farmer's Cow is a group of farmers in Connecticut that produce milk, cream, ice cream, eggs, apple cider, etc. Their ice cream is outstanding. The best textured ice cream I have ever had, ever. I like Ben & Jerrys just fine, and sometimes I like lots of chunks and swirls and nuts in my ice cream. But if you want just plain ice cream and are in New England, find some of this stuff. Ok, back to my dessert. Tell me you don't want to lick your computer screen while staring at this. 





Ok, that's all for now. Enjoy!


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## JBroida (Mar 27, 2011)

we need a "like" feature

+1 on the brussel sprouts + pork thing

+1 on marrow=good... i like the beef bones too


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## JohnnyChance (Mar 27, 2011)

Additional note: my out of the blue hankering for swiss chard and bone marrow actually comes from The Monterey in San Antonio, Texas. The place is just amazing, very simple menu, but the best dining experience I have ever had. When I was there, one of the things I had was Bone marrow with creamed swiss chard and crispy shallots. So when I thought of swiss chard, this is what I thought of, which led me to chard and marrow.

If you are in, near, or visiting San Antonio, check out http://themontereysa.com/food/


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## apicius9 (Mar 27, 2011)

Very nice. I like bone marrow, but it is so rich that this last piece of crostini looks like a heavy load to me. I would require a vodka with it... Love everything else. I usually go a little easier on the bacon/pancetta with the brussel sprouts (one of my favorite veggies), but then I add some vegetable fat in the form of walnuts to it 

Stefan


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## spinblue (Mar 27, 2011)

Thank you so much for the reference to the Monterey. We were raised there and Mom is heading there on 4/1 to visit her aunt. I sent her the link and told her to have fun and enjoy and that I'd be jealous for now. 

Mom made these for us when we were kids, not those kinds of veggies though. Those are a step up from rice and beans.


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## rahimlee54 (Mar 27, 2011)

I haven't even been to a restaurant that serves bone marrow, I'll be on the look out to try it. That dinner does look very good nice job. I think the pancetta has to be there for me to eat the sprouts though .


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## stereo.pete (Mar 27, 2011)

Wow, thanks for taking the time to share your pictures. Sounds and looks like you had a wonderful time cooking and eating alongside your friend. I have had bone marrow once at David Burke's Prime House in Chicago and although I loved the taste, it was the smell of the bones that was off putting for me.


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## JohnnyChance (Mar 27, 2011)

apicius9 said:


> Very nice. I like bone marrow, but it is so rich that this last piece of crostini looks like a heavy load to me. I would require a vodka with it... Love everything else. I usually go a little easier on the bacon/pancetta with the brussel sprouts (one of my favorite veggies), but then I add some vegetable fat in the form of walnuts to it
> 
> Stefan



Yeah, it was a little heavy on the pancetta, but we had one small chunk left and just cooked all of it. The last piece was a little heavy, but I managed.


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## JohnnyChance (Mar 27, 2011)

spinblue said:


> Thank you so much for the reference to the Monterey. We were raised there and Mom is heading there on 4/1 to visit her aunt. I sent her the link and told her to have fun and enjoy and that I'd be jealous for now.
> 
> Mom made these for us when we were kids, not those kinds of veggies though. Those are a step up from rice and beans.


 
The Monterey is unlike 99.9% of restaurants out there. Which was fine by me, but I know that some people are annoyed when it isnt what they expected. Their menu is like 15 items, everything being almost like "first plates" or large appetizers, with a few "entrees" that are slightly bigger and come with a starch or veg. Kinda the place where you order a bunch of different things and then share with the table. They have what they have, and if thats fine by you then great, if not, they cant accommodate some special requests. If you love food and can trust them, then you will have a blast. When I went the dinner menu was 15 items, there were 3 of us, and we ordered 7 items. It was a ton of food, but we finished all of it except for half a grilled cheese. I think our bill for all that plus 4 alcoholic beverages and tip was like $85. I also had brunch there, the best brunch I have ever had. They have great coffee from Brown Coffee Company, a local roaster. I had french toast with a fried egg on top with pork belly and espresso maple syrup. Amazing.


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## Jim (Mar 27, 2011)

Yum! Nice job on the meal and the post! Thanks.


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## MikeZ (Mar 28, 2011)

love it, thanks for the post!


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