Nigella Lawson's Marmite Spaghetti Is A Pantry Shortcut To Savory Stock
In the U.K., Marmite is a pantry staple. Everywhere else in the world — except New Zealand and Australia, where there's a similar condiment called vegemite — yeast extract isn't as widely used. In fact before 2014, when taste testing the product on camera became a popular YouTube trend, many Americans didn't even know what it was, and it showed. In these videos, YouTubers would either eat it plain or slather it on a piece of bread, prompting commenters to point out the improper use.
While Marmite is designed to be eaten with toast as many YouTubers appeared to be aware of, it's best enjoyed when only a thin layer is spread over butter or margarine. It's also common to pair it with cheese, like in grilled cheese or on a cracker, but you'd never serve Marmite by itself. According to celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, who likely grew up eating it since she's British, the condiment is also an easy shortcut to making a savory stock.
How to make stock with Marmite
Most Brits consider Marmite a spread, but a recipe published in Anna Del Conte's memoir calls for mixing it into it in buttered pasta along with parmesan cheese. It's from this recipe that Nigella Lawson realized Marmite could also be used to flavor a stock. As Lawson shared in a blog post on her website, the traditional stock she learned to make consists of butter, olive oil, chopped rosemary, leftover pasta water, and a crumbled bouillon cube. Instead of bouillon however, Lawson says marmite substitutes perfectly.
Technically you don't even need to use the other ingredients Lawson names. Since it's essentially a bouillon cube substitute you can realistically pair it with any aromatics you'd normally put in a homemade stock whether that be leftover vegetable scraps or beef bones. For best results, Marmite recommends using 4 tablespoons of the product for every 1 1/2 liters of water. Once you bring it to a boil and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes, the Marmite should fully dissolve, creating a flavorful stock.
Why Marmite can be turned into stock
You probably wouldn't think of yeast extract being the base of a stock, but Marmite actually contains more than just the one ingredient. The yeast extract itself is made up of barley, wheat, oats, rye, and salt, but Marmite also includes vegetable juice concentrate and natural flavoring that includes celery, as well as a proprietary spice blend that gives the condiment its distinct taste and color.
Compare that to the ingredients list of a vegetarian bouillon cube and you'll notice a good amount of overlap. Knorr brand bouillon, like Marmite, also contains yeast extract, celery, and salt, in addition to dehydrated carrots, and a few other seasonings like parsley and onion powder. There's obviously some variation in the ingredients, but the flavor profiles will ultimately be very similar. "If you think about it, Marmite offers saltiness and savouriness the way a stock cube might," as Nigella Lawson wrote in her blog post. So next time you plan to make stock, there's no reason not to try Marmite instead of bouillon.