Happy Italians (and Dog)!

Beef marrow bones are often included in the French pot-au-feu broth; the cooked marrow being traditionally eaten on toasted bread with sprinkled coarse sea salt. Diners in the 18th century used a spoon especially designed for eating called a "marrow scoop" which was typically silver with a long thin bowl. Marrow bones are also the highlight of the Italian dish ossobuco (braised veal shanks). To keep our adorable dog, Kahlua, happy at dinner time and to keep her from begging at the table, we started giving her a roasted marrow bone each evening while we ate dinner. The marrow is a great source of protein and the chewing the bone helps to keep a dog’s teeth clean. To roast marrow bones you will need:

12-24 raw marrow bones

Place bones marrow side up on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place in a 350 oven and roast for 20 minutes. If the marrow bones are still frozen (the butcher sometimes gives them to me right out of the freezer case,) then roast for 30 minutes. The marrow should look cooked, but not have receded from the inside of the bone. If you are serving as an appetizer, plate one marrow bone with two pieces of good bread that has been toasted and parsley salad:

1 small buch Italian (flat-leafed) parsley
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Serve with parsley salad (chopped parsley, shallot and capers tossed with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil.) The marrow is spread on the toast with the parsley salad on top.

For your pampered pooch, let the bones cool to room temperature and then place in the freezer. This keeps them fresh and makes them last longer when given to your dog as the marrow will be more solid.