Meatloaf
It's November and the weather is finally beginning to feel cooler. We've had days where the temperature has hovered in the mid-50s and I felt compelled to wear a sweater...at least pre-dawn when I'm on the way to work.
The Mister had an "envie" for meatloaf, which is almost the very definition of "comfort food." I didn't always feel this way. It seemed less a "meatloaf" and more a "meat-brick!"
. When I think of a "loaf," I think of warm bread. When the kids were small, we would brave the grocery store right after I picked them up from school. I would pile them all into our suburban and drive all of two blocks to the local grocery. Schwegmann Bros. Giant Supermarket was a local chain grocery, and sadly, in the New Orleans vernacular, "It ain't dere no more." They had an in-house bakery which would produce, among other things, French bread in several daily batches. The aroma would drift through the store, and an announcement over the PA system would let shoppers know "Hot French bread is now available in the bakery!" This would always start a stampede! I would buy one of the warm from the oven loaves "to have with dinner," but none of us could resist, and we would tear into it as soon as we got back to the car!
I found a very good recipe for meatloaf and tweaked it just a bit. With mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower that was all the rage last year) it is a perfect dinner for a chilly evening.
Meatloaf
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2 heaping tbsp Minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp chopped thyme
2 cups cubed bread
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup grated parmesan
Salt and pepper
(The Mister said, "What? No catsup??"
No. It isn't necessary. )
Beat the eggs and milk, and combine with the bread cubes (any kind of bread will work here. Seriously, I once used seasoned croutons when I had nothing else!). Allow the bread to soften. In a medium pan, saute the onion, celery, and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil until soft. Set aside. Combine ground meat and pork, parsley, thyme, parmesan, and the sauteed onion mixture. Mix in the softened bread/milk/eggs, and add salt and pepper. You will have to roll up your sleeves and get in there with your hands.
Now, take about a tablespoon of the mixture and flatten it into a tiny burger shape. Cook it completely (use the same pan you used to saute the onion) and taste for seasoning. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary and cook another small bite to check. No one wants bland meatloaf!
Preheat the oven to 350F. You can bake the meatloaf in any configuration you choose. I like a loaf pan, but I have heard of people mounding the mixture onto a rimmed sheet pan, or in a bundt pan.
Bake 45 minutes. If the top seems to brown too aggressively, you can tent it with foil. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155F.
For a delicious sauce, I combine 2 cups beef stock and 1 cup red wine with a sprig of thyme and simmer gently on medium low heat until reduced in volume to about 3/4 cup. Strain, and whisk in 2 tbsp cold butter. Season with salt and pepper.
The Mister had an "envie" for meatloaf, which is almost the very definition of "comfort food." I didn't always feel this way. It seemed less a "meatloaf" and more a "meat-brick!"
. When I think of a "loaf," I think of warm bread. When the kids were small, we would brave the grocery store right after I picked them up from school. I would pile them all into our suburban and drive all of two blocks to the local grocery. Schwegmann Bros. Giant Supermarket was a local chain grocery, and sadly, in the New Orleans vernacular, "It ain't dere no more." They had an in-house bakery which would produce, among other things, French bread in several daily batches. The aroma would drift through the store, and an announcement over the PA system would let shoppers know "Hot French bread is now available in the bakery!" This would always start a stampede! I would buy one of the warm from the oven loaves "to have with dinner," but none of us could resist, and we would tear into it as soon as we got back to the car!
I found a very good recipe for meatloaf and tweaked it just a bit. With mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower that was all the rage last year) it is a perfect dinner for a chilly evening.
Meatloaf
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2 heaping tbsp Minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp chopped thyme
2 cups cubed bread
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup grated parmesan
Salt and pepper
(The Mister said, "What? No catsup??"
No. It isn't necessary. )
Beat the eggs and milk, and combine with the bread cubes (any kind of bread will work here. Seriously, I once used seasoned croutons when I had nothing else!). Allow the bread to soften. In a medium pan, saute the onion, celery, and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil until soft. Set aside. Combine ground meat and pork, parsley, thyme, parmesan, and the sauteed onion mixture. Mix in the softened bread/milk/eggs, and add salt and pepper. You will have to roll up your sleeves and get in there with your hands.
Now, take about a tablespoon of the mixture and flatten it into a tiny burger shape. Cook it completely (use the same pan you used to saute the onion) and taste for seasoning. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary and cook another small bite to check. No one wants bland meatloaf!
Preheat the oven to 350F. You can bake the meatloaf in any configuration you choose. I like a loaf pan, but I have heard of people mounding the mixture onto a rimmed sheet pan, or in a bundt pan.
Bake 45 minutes. If the top seems to brown too aggressively, you can tent it with foil. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155F.
For a delicious sauce, I combine 2 cups beef stock and 1 cup red wine with a sprig of thyme and simmer gently on medium low heat until reduced in volume to about 3/4 cup. Strain, and whisk in 2 tbsp cold butter. Season with salt and pepper.
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