At a recent party, I brought a meatloaf that got rave reviews from those lucky enough to sample some before it was gone.
I'm glad that so many enjoyed it, but I have to be honest in that its origins came out of a magazine... I simply tweeked it here and there. What I personally like so much about it is that it's more of a blueprint for how to make a meatloaf giving multiple options at every stage, rather that simply one way to make this particular dish. Since so many people are curious as to how I came up with my results, however, I'll also put up the individual choices I made this last time.
Step 1: Choose the meat. Select two pounds of any of the following ground meats, up to three different sorts of meat.
1.Beef or bison
2.Sweet or hot Italian sausage (but not more than 1 lb.)
3.Pork (but not more than 1 lb.)
4.Veal
5.Lamb
6.Turkey (but not 100% breast meat)
For the party, I went with beef and sweet Italian sausage.
Step 2: Choose the aromatics. These are items that are cooked up with the onion and garlic prior to being mixed into the meatloaf. Finely chop or mince up to 1½ cups of any of these vegetables, or 2 cups if the mushrooms are chosen due to their tendency to cook down in size. Of the liquid add ins, up to ¾'s of a cup. Yes, you can add both veggies
and liquids.
1.Carrots
2.Celery
3.Fennel
4.Fresh mushrooms
5.Leeks
6.Bell peppers, any color
1.Red or white wine
2.Stout, wheat, or pilsner beer
3.Dry sherry
For my own choices, I went with mushrooms, celery, and dry sherry.
Step 3: Choose the mix-ins. These are items that aren't to be cooked prior to cooking the meatloaf, mixed in with the meat. Now, some of these I'm listing are choices from the magazine and a bit "out there" for myself - but I'm including them for people who might be a bit more daring than myself when it comes to flavors. Choose up to three of the ingredients below.
1.Dried apricots, figs, or dates. Very coarsely chopped, up to ⅓ of a cup.
2.Raisins (golden or dark). Very coarsely chopped, up to ⅓ of a cup.
3.Currants.
4.Capers. Chopped, up to 1 tablespoon.
5.Fresh ginger. Peeled and finely grated, up to 2 teaspoons.
6.Scallions. Sliced, up to
7.Jalapeno peppers. Finely chopped, up to 1 heaping tablespoon.
8.Lemon or lime zest. Fine grately, up to 2 teaspoons.
9.Green or black olives. Pitted and coarsely chopped, up to ⅓ of a cup.
10.Horseradish. Peeled and finely grated fresh, or strained jarred, up to ¼ of a cup.
11.Dried mushrooms. Rehydrated and chopped, up to ¼ of a cup.
12.Cheddar, gruyère, or gouda cheese. Grated,
13.Feta or blue cheese. Crumbled, up to up to ½ of a cup.
14.Parmigiano-Reggiano. Finely grated, up to ¾ of a cup.
For the party, I mixed in scallions and smoked gouda.
Step 4: Choose the herbs & spices. Of the herbs, choose one or two for a total of ¼ of a cup total. Also, choose one or two of the spices in the recommended amount for each spice.
1.Thyme, rosemary, tarragon, sage, dill, marjoram, or oregano. Chopped, up to 1 tablespoon.
2.Parsley. Chopped, up to ¼ of a cup.
3.Basil. Chopped, up to ¼ of a cup.
4.Cilantro. Chopped, up to ¼ of a cup.
5.Chives. Sliced, up to ¼ of a cup.
Of the herbs, I used thyme and rosemary.
1.Crushed red pepper flakes. ½ of a teaspoon.
2.Fennel seeds. Coarsely chopped, 2 teaspoons.
3.Pimenton (smoked paprika). ¾ of a teaspoon.
4.Ground cinnamon. ¼ of a teaspoon.
5.Hot chili powder (such as chipotle). ½ of a teaspoon.
6.Garam masala. 2 teaspoons.
7.Ground cumin. 2 teaspoons.
8.Ground coriander. 2 teaspoons.
9.Ground allspice. ½ of a teaspoon.
10.Mild chili powder (such as ancho). 1 tablespoon.
For my meatloaf, I used crushed red pepper flakes.
All right, we're ready to actually cook the meatloaf! Aside from the ingredients above, you'll need these...
■2 tablespoons of canola or olive oil
■1 medium yellow onion, chopped
■2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
■1 package of bread crumbs, 16 ounces
■2 large eggs
■1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
■2 teaspoons of salt
■1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
■Ketchup (option of additional barbeque sauce and chipotle pepper)
■Skillet
■Mixing spatula
■2 Large mixing bowls
■Oven safe meatloaf pan
Firstly, take the skillet and add the canola / olive oil, the yellow onion, garlic, and your choices of aromatics from "Step 2". Stir frequently 6 to 8 minutes. Add in the liquids from "Step 2" and simmer briskly until almost dry, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool until warm.
Next, take the second mixing bowl and lightly beat the eggs. Add the worchestershire sauce, salt, pepper, as well as the mix-ins from "Step 3" and the herbs & spices from "Step 4". Mix well, then add the meats chosen in "Step 1". As an additional aside, if chosing more than one meat, don't simply dump both selections of meat in the bowl and attempt to mix them that way. Take a handful of each choice and slightly pluck pieces of it to add to the mixing bowl. When further mixing happens, this allows the meats to blend more evenly. Take cooled contents of previous bowl and add them together. Lightly blend mixture with hands, trying not to compact. Add bread crumbs and mix in further, still attempting not to compact. Place entire contents within meatloaf pan, cook in pre-heated oven at 450° for 30 minutes.
Now, typically meatloaf is simply topped with ketchup... possibly with some spices added to it. Personally, I've tried out a mixture that is equal parts barbeque sauce, ketchup, as well as a teaspoon of chipotle pepper, and it's turned out quite nice. After meatloaf has cooked for 30 minutes, top with this mixture, and place back in oven for an additional 30 minutes. Once that 30 minutes is finished, allow meatloaf to cool for 10 minutes... then enjoy!
Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I have.
It's fun to attempt "themed" meatloafs... I once made a Greek inspired meatloaf with lamb, turkey, lime zest, basil, feta cheese, and white wine. Yes, it's a bit of a project, but if you follow this recipe you can make a meatloaf that people will rave over too.
I call it... Señor Cheesesteak! Now, I'll apologize because I so rarely measure things when I cook and I didn't tonight. Part of why I enjoy cooking, it's a creative process. However, I'll give the rough ingredients as best I can guestimate.
, in the business of keeping the little Platypus in business
