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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Home Sweet Home


I love traveling, but I also miss the comforts of home. Especially my kitchen. The timing of this trip wasn't amazing though, because we got back just in time for the New Year. Which means my usual prep work for Rosh Hashanna has gone right down the toilet. No fancy holiday feast for us. And there's so much going on with my family right now there's no fancy holiday feast for them either. And for any of you who have any Jewish friends, you'll know that there is no holiday without a fabulous meal. We're postponing our fabulous meal until this weekend, and enjoying it with friends, in our home.

Instead of wowing you with a harvest feast to end all harvest feasts, I'll send you over to Cara, who is sure to have something droolworthy posted soon. Here however, I'll leave you with one of Thatboy's favorite meals. Meatloaf.

Personally, I've never been a meatloaf fan. I think it's the combination of the name and the concept. I mean...a loaf....of meat.... Really, it's not that different from a hamburger, except for the loaf shape, right? But for some reason it's just not my thing. So as usual, I avoid making it for as long as I can. When I do make it, I tend to make a turkey meatloaf, which to me is a little more appetizing (again, I can't explain this). While Thatboy originally balked at the idea, he's actually grown to love and defend turkey meatloaf.

Based upon a discussion I had on my cooking board, I thought I would try a different kind of meatloaf. The lovely and talented women told me that a lot of meatloaf mixes combine three different meats - ground beef, ground pork, and ground veal. Each meat is supposed to contribute a different attribute to the meatloaf (flavor, tenderness, color, etc. etc. etc.) I figured I'd give it a whirl. But there is one aspect of the meatloaf which I just can't veer from. Thatboy will put up with all my variations as long as there is a ketchup crust on top, so you can see the beautiful red cover of this meatloaf.

For me, this meatloaf was good and very flavorful, but it's still a meatloaf in all it's glory. Thatboy liked this a lot. But he does love his meatloaf. The funny thing is, even though he liked this, he told me he prefers my turkey meatloaf! L'Shana Tova everyone.


Meatloaf
  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1/2 lb. ground pork
  • 1/2 lb. ground veal
  • 8 oz. tomato sauce
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  1. Preheat to 350. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and sauté 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk, stir until blended and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Add the onion-celery mixture to the breadcrumb mixture and stir until blended.
  4. Add the beef, pork, veal, tomato sauce, and egg and fold together gently until blended.
  5. Transfer the mixture to a loaf pan. Spread the ketchup evenly over the top. Bake 1 1/2 hours.
Serves 6.
Each serving has:
Calories 475.4
Total Fat 30.1 g
Saturated Fat 11.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 13.5 g
Cholesterol 166.7 mg
Sodium 516.6 mg
Potassium 694.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 13.9 g
Dietary Fiber 1.4 g
Sugars 4.1 g
Protein 35.5 g

12 comments:

  1. I never ate meatloaf until college, and I can't say that I'm a fan.

    But maybe I'd like yours. :)

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  2. L'Shana Tova! No fancy meal for us either. I didn't even have any apples in the house...go figure.

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  3. Happy New Year! The meatloaf looks great. We like it ove at my house too but I try to space it out so they don't notice!

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  4. I've given up on regular meat loaves I think. I love turkey too! Give Ina's a shot if you ever want a change - I really didn't think it would be that special but it was insanely good (as long as you cut it down to 1/4 of the recipe - really? A 5lb meatloaf?). This looks great tho!

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  5. Meatloaf has been very, very good to me! The first cooking contest I entered was Pillsbury and I used their Pork Helper (discontinued I might add) to make Apple Stuffing Mini Meatloaves. They won me a trip to Hollywood. This one looks really good, too!

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  6. I have never liked meatloaf for some reason. Maybe the breadcrumbs.... (hate soggy bread) or tomato sauce... I don't know.

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  7. Mmm. I actually never used to like meatloaf, but for some reason love it now. I haven't made it in a while...I think it may be about time.

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  8. I have vague memories of eating meatloaf a time or two when I was a kid. It just never was all that appetizing to me. Something about it being hamburgers in loaf shape threw me off too.

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  9. Aww, thanks for the nod! We are not a meatloaf household but I keep trying to think of some fun ideas to try out. I actually have one I think you would love ;)

    Shanah Tova!!

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  10. i've tried to like meatloaf, but i just can't. sad. it always seems like such an easy meal to make.

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  11. that looks like the most moist and delicious meatloaf ever! i even showed the photo to my hubs (meatloaf is his fave).... and it's added to the menu.

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  12. i gotta say, i really like meatloaf. i don't make it very often, but i do enjoy it.

    my friend, blondie, turned me on to meatloaf muffins -- same mix, but make 'em in muffin cups. instant portion control and they bake up a lot quicker. <3 them!

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