Meat Loaf
What is "comfort food"? the answers are innumerable. For this posting I have chosen a dish that is almost universally liked, simple to do and Oh-so-DELICIOUS!. Why do I cook? part of the reason (and I am embarrassed to confess it) is because I love to be able to eat things that I really like, and if I cook I have more control on the choice of menu...However, I often ask for requests from my family or friends and this contradicts what I just said...I just love to do it.
When thinking about this post I realized that although I chose a simple dishes of meat , it is also about choices; choices of meat, of glaze, etc. The technique to do meat loaf is the same, regardless of our choice of content, and herein is the culture at home playing a role in the flavors we want to call "ours", "comfort food", etc.
“Meat Loaf”: Meat loaf combines meat and some vegetables in this recipe, however the types and proportions are a matter of taste, not of technique. I like to have 50% of Buffalo ground beef, 25% of Chuck ground beef, and 25% Pork ground beef. The Buffalo meat is lean and has a deep flavor that adds depth to the dish, and the Chuck has about 15% fat content which helps the loaf; and finally Pork, which again gives a great taste to the combination. If you do not have access to ground buffalo or bison beef, or you do not feel adventurous regarding that choice, a good combination is 50% Chuck and 50% Pork. If you feel the need for something lighter you can mix 50% of ground pork, and 50% of chicken sausage (ask your butcher to remove the casings from them).
When thinking about this post I realized that although I chose a simple dishes of meat , it is also about choices; choices of meat, of glaze, etc. The technique to do meat loaf is the same, regardless of our choice of content, and herein is the culture at home playing a role in the flavors we want to call "ours", "comfort food", etc.
“Meat Loaf”: Meat loaf combines meat and some vegetables in this recipe, however the types and proportions are a matter of taste, not of technique. I like to have 50% of Buffalo ground beef, 25% of Chuck ground beef, and 25% Pork ground beef. The Buffalo meat is lean and has a deep flavor that adds depth to the dish, and the Chuck has about 15% fat content which helps the loaf; and finally Pork, which again gives a great taste to the combination. If you do not have access to ground buffalo or bison beef, or you do not feel adventurous regarding that choice, a good combination is 50% Chuck and 50% Pork. If you feel the need for something lighter you can mix 50% of ground pork, and 50% of chicken sausage (ask your butcher to remove the casings from them).
a. Tools: a skillet or sauté pan, a box grater, a large bowl to mix the ingredients, and a pyrex or non-stick baking pan.
b. Ingredients: 1 lb of the desired combination of meats, 1 medium-large yellow onion, 1 large or 2 medium carrots, 3 Tbsp of unsalted butter (you can substitute with extra virgin olive oil), 1 large egg, 1/4 cup of whole milk (you can substitute this for yoghourt for a slightly less sweet flavor), 1 Tbsp of Worcestershire, 1/2 tsp of kosher salt, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, 2 Tbsp of finely chopped fresh italian (flat) parsley, 2 Tbsp of brown sugar, 1/2 a cup of tomato catsup sauce, 1 /2 cup o plain bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs (Japanese Style), 1/2 Tbsp of red or white wine vinegar. Optional: 1/4 tsp of sweet paprika, cayenne or red pepper.
c. Procedure: Preheat the oven at Grate the carrots with the box grater, and finely chop the onion. Heat the skillet in medium to high heat and add the butter (or olive oil if using). Add the onions and cook for 7~8 minutes until soft. Add the carrots and cook mixing together with the onions for another 8 minutes until soft. Remove from heat. In a small bowl mix well the two types of bread crumbs. The combination is a matter of taste, the Panko gives a nice “crunchiness” texture to the loaf. In a separate small bowl mix the tomato catsup, sugar, and vinegar and mix well together with a fork or small whisk. In a wide soup dish or similar, mix the egg, parsley, salt, pepper, milk (or yoghourt), Worcestershire sauce, and if you are using it, the paprika, cayenne, or red pepper. Whisk it vigorously until everything is well blended. Add the meat combination and mix well with your hand as if you were preparing a loaf of bread. Add the onions and carrots and continue mixing. When everything is blended together, add part of the bread crumbs and continue to mix and adding the bread crumbs until the consistent is relatively "wet" but not sticky. Prepare the baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil (this will make cleaning much easier afterwards). transfer the mix to the baking pan and form the loaf with your hands making sure to leave a little space on the sides so the loaf does not touch the sides of the pan (this allows for a more uniform cooking and crust). pour the catsup mix and spread it over the entire surface of the loaf. Bake the loaf in the oven until it is about 160 F of internal temperature, about 50 minutes. take it out of the oven and let it rest about 20 minutes before serving it. It is delicious with mashed potatoes.
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