Sounds like a still-life, doesn’t it? Meat Loaf, by Mimi. I like the sound of that. But meat loaf gets such bad press – I’ve heard people say, “I’ll eat anything but meat loaf.” What’s wrong here, people? It’s a substantial dish, but not necessarily heavy. Tasty, if there’s plenty of wine, herbs, spices, soy sauce…and the secret gourmet ingredient: ketchup.
I sometimes vary the basic ingredient, the meat. For some reason I lost my taste for beef – I know, life would be so much more interesting, so much more succulent, if I still ate beef – but find turkey perfectly satisfactory. (Don’t know why I dislike beef; I eat lamb whenever I can get it, and the deliciousness of roast goat I ate in Mexico City still lingers in my memory). Anyway, I usually buy what they call here “red meat of turkey” – the deboned meat from the thigh. Freshly ground and well supported by a certain amount of fat and seasonings, it makes fine hamburgers, Shepherd’s Pie, picadillo, and meatloaf.
But last week I saw ground lamb for sale in the supermarket. I mixed it 50/50 with ground turkey, and the meatloaf was moist and savory.
Meat Loaf by Mimi
serves 4
Ingredients:
1 kg. – 2 lb. ground beef, turkey, lamb, or any combination of those 1 large onion, chopped coarsely
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons wheat germ or bread crumbs
2 large cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons dry red wine
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried sage or 2 fresh green leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 Tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons salt
freshly-ground pepper
* Extra ketchup and soy sauce for the top of the loaf
Method:
1. In a blender, blend everything except the meat and the *extra ketchup and soy sauce.
2. Put your ground meat in a bowl. Mix the contents of the blender into it, stirring vigorously.
3. Cover the seasoned meat and put it back in the fridge for half an hour to absorb the flavors.
4. Prepare a 10″ pan: lay a sheet of baking paper in it, or grease it generously. An oven-proof skillet will also do.
5. Pour the meat into the pan and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Drizzle equal amounts of ketchup and soy sauce over the surface.
6. Bake the meat loaf at 350°F – 180 °C for one hour. If it seems that the top is in danger of burning, cover it loosely with a sheet of tin foil.
3 other turkey recipes:
Tajine of Turkey With Dried Fruit
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I don’t know why meatloaf gets such a bad rap. I made it a while ago in my quest for something easy and different, and my kids loved it. I’ve since served it for shabbat lunch, with company, and there wasn’t any left. I do find using ameat thermometer helps eliminate the fear of overcooking.
Rachel, hi,
I think meatloaf is probably an abused food. One friend said she won’t eat it because her mother’s came out like a brick. That sounds way heavy in starchy fillers and then overcooked to me. Meat loaf should be juicy and tender.
The meat thermometer is a good idea.
I also rarely use beef. And I don’t use an starch binders either. You can decorate the top with sliced tomatoes.
I have always used quick oatmeal and soymilk to lighten up meatloaf. plus its great with mashed potaotes, come to think of it i dont know anything that isnt good with mashed potatoes
Chuckle…true, mashed potatoes are top comfort food around here too. Soymilk in the meat loaf, now, I have to think about that. Normally I avoid using soy products, not because of allergies but because soy has plant hormones that simulate human estrogen. There are too many industrial hormones in our food as it is…I do use fermented soy products like soy sauce and miso, though. Miso in meat loaf is very good.
Well, I do put ‘starchy fillers’ in my meat loaf (also in my hamburgers) and I find they help make the resulting dish much more tender than the pure-meat versions out there! My starchy filler of choice is stale challah, soaked in warm water and squeezed as dry as possible. About 3 slices / half-kilo of meat. I admit this is a contrary opinion, but I have found that my meat loaf and hamburgers get raves, so I’m going to stick with it.
If your meatloaf recipe gets raves, you’re smart to stick with it.
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