The recipe

Cut a medium-sized marrow in half lengthways, then scrape out and discard the core of seeds and fibres. Put the halves side by side in a baking dish or roasting tin. Divide 40g of butter between the two hollows, then cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 200C/gas mark 6. From time to time, spoon the butter over the edges of the marrow.

Meanwhile, cut the kernels from two large heads of sweetcorn and cook for 5 minutes in boiling, lightly salted water. Drain and set aside. Chop a small bunch of tarragon leaves, enough to give 1 heaped tbsp. Wash 150g of spinach leaves, cook them in a small amount of water in a small pan, drain, then squeeze out any water. Roughly chop the spinach.

Pour 250ml of double cream into a small saucepan, then stir in the drained corn, the chopped tarragon and the spinach. Grate 60g of parmesan and stir half of it into the cream. Season with pepper and salt.

Remove the marrow from the oven, check for tenderness, then fill the hollows with the cream, corn and spinach stuffing. Put the remaining grated parmesan on top, then return to the oven for about 20 minutes. Serves 2 generously.

The trick

Although I like the calming blandness of marrow, it is best to err on the generous side with the seasoning. Marrow responds well to salty food such as bacon, feta and cheese. So season enthusiastically with herbs.

The twist

The soft, translucent flesh of a marrow appreciates a well-flavoured stuffing. Minced pork, fried with lemon zest, garlic, coriander leaves and parmesan is a favourite of mine, as is minced bacon, anchovy, breadcrumbs and chopped tomatoes. An alternative that has gone down well involves slicing the marrow into rings and removing the core, placing them on baking parchment or foil and filling them with sluiced tomatoes, garlic, basil leaves and sweetcorn, before sealing and baking until sweet and fragrant.

Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater