Pesto stuffed vegetables

We had two ingredients that demanded a recipe:
a large marrow that a friend had given us

and end of summer basil which needed to be used before the kitchen window sill gets too cold at night.

Marrow needs a strongly flavoured stuffing so I decided to try something new, of my own devising. Marrow stuffed with minced (ground) beef mixed with pesto.
 This worked really well. Even those who weren't keen on the marrow part enjoyed the minced beef with pesto.
Ingredients for pesto
clove of garlic-chopped
3 handfuls of basil leaves
glug of olive oil-sorry I'm not a very precise cook
pinenuts-I used 100g
Parmesan-grated or cut into thin slices to taste
Method
Using a pestle and mortar or a blender pound or blend the pinenuts and garlic. Add the olive oil and basil and parmesan.
Ingredients for the marrow and minced beef
500g minced beef
marrow sliced into approx 3cm sliced (just over 1 inch) with seeds removed
tin of plum tomatoes or 1lb fresh
clove of garlic
large onion-chopped
oregano
olive oil
Method
Blanch the marrow for 5 minutes. Drain and place on baking tray.
Soften onion in olive oil, add minced beef and garlic and brown.
Add tomatoes and herbs and simmer for 15 minutes. Take off heat.
Mix pesto with minced beef mixture. Stir well.
Add mixture to centre of marrow slices.
Cook at 180 degrees centigrade (350F) for 45 minutes.

I served this with new potatoes, salad and sweet corn.

Go over to Meredith's blog for more recipe ideas.