Understanding Meatloaf

Since we are deep in the middle of a snowy winter I am going to start off with comfort foods. Comfort foods of course aren't usually fancy, and they are the main stays of the household once the weather cools down. Meatloaf is suddenly chic' again as many restaurants have brought it back to the menu. Chef's among themselves, actually admire the simple things that are done well rather than the fancy dishes they cook each day at their restaurants. Simple things like briscuits, meatloaf, and braised item's are often the comfort of the culinary elite.

Meatloaf is one of my favorite things to make, especially in the Winter. It is simple to make, and it takes as much time to make it special as it takes to make it atrocious, in other words there are no decent excuses for a bad meatloaf.

Don't look down on meatloaf either, as it is the American cousin of the French pate's, and terrine's which simply put are just fancy, complex, cold, meatloaf. We will tackle the complicated French version on another day.

Meatloaf of course starts with the meat, and I like to use an even blend of Ground Chuck, Ground Pork, and Ground Veal. The blend gives it more complexity, and flavor. I never use frozen meat, and I never buy chain supermarket meat. Find an old fashioned neighborhood meat market where they grind it daily, or will even grind it while you watch.

In Chicago we are blessed with the Paulina Meat Market on the North side of the city close to Wrigley Field. In the North Suburbs where I live now I was fortunate to find a place called Orchard Prime Butcher Shop in Lake Zurich. we also have a small chain of North shore super markets called Sunset which have excellent meat, and seafood departments.

In Seattle A&J Meats on Queen Anne Hill, and Cascioppo's in Ballard are a couple of my favorites. A big key to any Butcher shop is it should smell smokey when you walk in the door. If they have their own smoker it is a very good sign they care about quality. You might have guessed tha tI am very picky about my meat, and seafood and will go long distances to get exactly what I want.

The next thing to think about is the binder. The binder is what holds the thing together, Most people use softened, seasoned, bread crumbs, egg, and tomato sauce, but I prefer to use oatmeal, egg, tomato sauce, and, or cream. Either variation works, it just depends on how heavy or light you want it to be. Breadcrumbs to me seem to add more of a grainy texture while the oats are lower in carb's and seem to meld better with the meat and soak up the flavor while cooking.

My mother used to add a packet of Lipton's Onion Soup to her meatloaf, and I bet most Mom's still do that today, so we are including a copy of mom's recipe.

I prefer to chop fresh onion, garlic, and add some fresh parsley for color, or basil, or another fresh Herb for flavor. I then add seasoning salt, Worcestershire Sauce, ....sometime's A-1, ketchup, or Heinz 57, black pepper, and Italian spices.

Once you get your meatloaf to this point you have to decide which way to go with it. I usually prefer to keep it simple and make a gravy with the drippings, and serve it with Heinz 57 and some type of potato and leave it at that. Meatloaf gravy is excellent with fries, tots, hash browns. or mashed potato's.

I also have stuffed Meat Loaf's in the past with such ingredients as Italian sausage links, bacon, ham, pepperoni, blue, provolone, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese.

Browned Italian Sausages wrapped with provolone are a favorite stuffing of mine. It's looks cool when you slice the loaf and gives it a little contrast with the ring of cheese ooozing out.

Meatloaf is traditionally topped with either ketchup (sweet), barbecue sauce (tangy), or tomato (mild) sauce. You can also leave it un-sauced while cooking and just let the gravy do the work when it is done.

Meatloaf With Meatloaf Gravy

This is an adult meatloaf made from scratch that has a lighter appearance due to the cream.

1 lb Ground Chuck
1 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Veal
3/4 cup Quaker Oatmeal
2 Egg s
1/2 cup Cream
1/2 Cup Beef Broth
One Medium Chopped Onion
3 Cloves Chopped Garlic
Chopped Parsley
Italian Spices
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper

Mix Veal, Pork, and Ground Chuck together with all the other ingredients but the cheese and the links and put in a meatloaf pan. Cook in oven for 45 minutes at 375.

Drain drippings from the meatloaf, and place in a sauce pan. Warm the drippings up and add flour to make a roux. Add a thin slice of meatloaf and break it up. "once roux has set over low heat for around 4 minutes to get rid of the flour taste add milk, salt, and pepper. Stir till roux is absorbed by the milk and heat till thick stirring occasionally.

Stuffed Italian Meatloaf

This is the one you make so people will always comment on the future about your meatloaf. It is simple and easy, but when sliced has a surprise.

1 lb Ground Chuck
1 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Veal
Raw Oatmeal
Egg
Tomato Sauce
Cream
Chopped Onion
Chopped Garlic
Chopped Basil
Italian Spices
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
Hot Italian Sausage Links
Provolone Cheese

Mix Veal, Pork, and Ground Chuck together with all the other ingredients but the cheese and the links and put in a meatloaf pan. Brown the Italian Sausage on both sides till golden brown and let cool. Once cooled wrap with provolone and insert length wise in the middle of the loaf. top with remaining tomato sauce and cook in oven for 45 minutes at 375.

This one we prefer with a light marinara put together with a can of Rotel, fresh garlic, and some Italian seasonings finished with some salt and pepper.


Mom's Meatloaf

This is the stuff you should have grown up with, it isn't cutting edge, but it has the flavors you grew up with.

1 lb Ground Chuck
1 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Veal
Raw Oatmeal
Egg
Tomato Sauce
Heinz 57 Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Lipton's Onions Soup
Chopped Parsley
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper

Mix Veal, Pork, and Ground Chuck together with all the other ingredients but the cheese and the links and put in a meatloaf pan. Top with Sauce and cook in oven for 45 minutes at 375.

Drain drippings from the meatloaf, and place in a sauce pan. Warm the drippings up and add flour to make a roux. Add a thin slice of meatloaf and break it up. "once roux has set over low heat for around 4 minutes to get rid of the flour taste add milk, salt, and pepper. Stir till roux is absorbed by the milk and heat till thick stirring occasionally.

Gut Bomb Meatloaf

You don't want to serve this on date night, but it is great for when you are having the dudes over for a football game. This variation of Mom's Meatloaf is deadly, and you want to make sure you keep the windows cracked after serving.

1 lb Ground Chuck
1 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Veal
Raw Oatmeal
Egg
Tomato Sauce
Heinz 57 Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
Lipton's Onions Soup
Chopped Parsley
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
Pepperoni Slices
Cheddar Cheese

Topping Sauce is an equal blend of Ketchup, and Heinz 57 with a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Mix Veal, Pork, and Ground Chuck together with all the other ingredients but the Cheese and the Pepperoni and put half of it in a meatloaf pan. Layer the cheese and pepperoni and then fill in with the rest of the meatloaf mixture. Top with Sauce and cook in oven for 45 minutes at 375.

This one is best served with Heinz 57 or Marinara on the side.