Nigel Slater's Recipes for Pork, Miso and Marrow, and Nut and Fig Cake

Should we get rid of the marrow? I'm not sure what prompted me to bring it home, perhaps a fit of nostalgia for the harvest festival where the least-loved squash and its pale green and cream stripes sat among bunches of dahlias in carnival colors on the stone window sill of the church. Whatever the reason, it's still in the fridge and starting to haunt me.

I'm less ambivalent than most recent green-fleshed summer squash . The flesh soaks up the garlic, herbs and drippings deliciously and when left to fry until golden brown, the edges caramelize (eventually) quite gently. They're cheap - I bought mine for less than £1 - and appear too often in the weekly late summer veg delivery box. Even peeled and seeded, there is plenty of flesh in a 1 kg marrow. I found it also liked miso. I'm going to pull out a few good dinners of mine, the first with ground pork, the second au gratin, under a nostalgic blanket of parmesan-crusted cheese sauce.

I I am still bombarded with figs, both from the little tree in the garden, and in local shops where their price has dropped considerably in recent weeks. Taking advantage of them this week, I pressed them into the batter of a crispy nut cake, which I then served as a dessert, drizzled with runny honey.

Pork, miso and marrow

If you move the pith around the pan, it will never brown and you'll end up with jam, so only flip each piece with kitchen tongs when the underside starts to brown. Don't forget the lime, it is crucial for the balance of the dish. For 2 people, copiously

marrow 500 g, or 400 g courgette and peanut oil 4 tbsp, plus a little additional shallot 1 large garlic, finely chopped 2 cloves, finely chopped ginger 50g, grated into a fine pulp 1 red chilli, seeded and finely choppedminced pork 450gbrown miso paste 1 tbsp wine vinegar 2 tbsp stock 100ml (you can use water in a snap) sesame seeds 2 tbsp coriander leaves a small handful lime 1 lengthwise and scoop out and discard the spongy piece in the middle. Cut the flesh into slices about 1 cm thick and then in half again. (If using zucchini, there is no need to peel or core them.)

Heat the oil in a wide, shallow pan - I use a 28 cm diameter one. A skillet or wok will do just fine. Then, when hot, add the bone marrow. Let the pieces fry for 7-8 minutes over fairly high heat without moving them in the pan, until they are tender and lightly browned underneath. Flip them over with kitchen tongs and let the other side brown as well - another 3 or 4 minutes. Remove the marrow from the pan with a slotted spoon, set aside in a bowl and cover with a lid, so they continue to soften in their own steam. (Zucchinis may take a little less time to cook.)

While the marrow cooks, peel and finely chop the shallot and garlic. Peel the ginger and grate it into a thick pulp on a fine grater. Halve the chilli, seed it and chop finely.

Return the pan to the heat and add a little more oil - you don't need plenty, just about 1 tbsp to give a thin film – then add the shallot, garlic, ginger and chilli. This time, move everything around the pan as it cooks for a minute or two, so it doesn't burn. Raise the heat, add the pork, flattening it slightly as you go. Cook, without moving anything, 6 or 7 minutes, maybe more, until the pork is browned underneath. Once the pork has formed a nice brown crust underneath, break it up, stirring lightly, and let it cook for a few more minutes.

Stir in the miso paste and the rice vinegar (but without salt or pepper) then the broth. Return the marrow to the skillet, continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes until bubbly. Scatter the sesame and cilantro and pour into shallow bowls. Squeeze the lime over it before eating.

Nut and Fig Cake