Italian Meatloaf

Savory and satisfying, this recipe makes a lot. Modified from a recipe broadcast on Cook's Country (PBS TV).

Sauce
1 T olive oil
1/4 c thin garlic slices
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon table salt

Meatloaf

1 sleeve saltines

3/4 c whole milk

2 large eggs

1 lb lean ground beef

1 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing

2 oz (1 c) grated Parmesan cheese

1 t granulated garlic

1 t dry oregano

1/2 t table salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

3 T chopped fresh basil

Heat the oil in 3-quart saucepan over medium to 350 F. Add the garlic slices and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients, bring to a fast simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside covered, to keep warm. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 F. Treat a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place saltines in large zip-lock bag, seal bag, and crush saltines to fine crumbs with rolling pin or a heavy pan. Whisk milk and eggs in large bowl and stir in the crumbs. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes and then whisk it to form a smooth paste. Add beef, sausage, Parmesan, and the seasonings and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Transfer beef mixture to the prepared baking dish. Wet your hands, then shape into 9 X 5-inch rectangle. The top should be flat and meatloaf should be about 1-1/2 inches tall. Pour sauce over the meatloaf. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any spills. Bake until meatloaf registers 160 F in the middle, about 65 to 75 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover, and rest it for 15 minutes. With 2 spatulas, lift the meatloaf onto a cutting board. With a flat spoon, remove excess grease from the sauce. Cut the meatloaf into 1-inch slices, return them to the sauce, and garnish with the basil. Yields about 8 servings.

Greene's Onion Burgers

A Detroit tradition, once operating at many busy corner grills across the region, now reduced to a single suburban outlet. Greene's cranked out thousands of simple, tasty cheap onion burgers with a very limited set of sides. No deep fryer. DrDaddy made his supper from these 'trefedick' sinkers on the nights after public school when he attended Hebrew school as he pursued his Bar Mitzvah status, just 70 yards from the Greene's white-tile walls. Counter service and carryout only. Years later, he would return to take away burgers. Now, to simulate the experience of carryout and the drive home to deliver the goodies, the sandwiches are wrapped in wax paper, bagged, and held 10 minutes before serving.

8 1/6 lb (75 g) ground chuck, formed into balls
plentiful white onions, thinly sliced into rings on a mandolin
8 soft white buns (toasted, optional)
pickle chips
ketchup
yellow mustard

12x12 inch wax paper squares
paper bags

Heat the griddle to 325 F (165 C). With a stiff spatula, press a large raft of onions into  each ball of meat and flatten them together. Salt well, and press again. Open each bun and put the top on the bottom. When juices appear on upper surface of patty, flip and place bun on top. After a minute, lift patty and turn top of bun over, and put top on bottom. Flip and drop. Lift top of bun, add three pickle chips, a squirt of ketchup and of mustard. Wrap each burger in wax paper and groups the sandwiches in a bag. Pour a beer if you like. Wait. Reheat the bag in µwave if you must.

Cabbage Rolls (Golumpki)

A large cabbage yields about 2 dozen golumpki

Recorded October 15, 2008. A Family Favorite.

Filling

1-1/4 lb lean ground beef
2-1/2 c cooked rice
1 egg, beaten
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 T minced garlic
2 T vegetable oil
salt and pepper

1 large head of green cabbage

Sauce

1 15-oz can tomato sauce
3 T brown sugar
1-1/2 T lemon juice
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 c green pepper chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion and garlic in oil until soft and clear. In a large bowl combine with the other filling ingredients and set aside. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly and set aside Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut deeply through the leaves at the base of the cabbage and place the head in boiling water. Cover and cook until a few outer leaves can be peeled back. Use a large fork in the base to steady the cabbage and tongs to peel back the leaves. As the leaves become softened, remove them to cool and drain and then peel away another group of outer leaves, continuing until all the usable leaves are softened and cooled. Chop the interior leaves and add to the sauce. Trim away the tough bottom of a leaf and place about 3 tablespoons of filling and roll and fold the cabbage leaf to form a tight package. Place in a baking pan, seam side down. Continue until all the filling has been used. Any spare leaves can be rolled and included in the pan. Pour sauce over rolls and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 60 min at 350 degrees F (177 C). Serve with steamed rice.  Hint: A second batch of sauce can be prepared in a saucepan by combining the ingredients and simmering for 30 minutes while the rolls bake.

Dorothy's Stewed Meatballs

Reconstructed by DrDaddy from Phyllis Pliskow's hand-written notes recalling Dorothy Magid's recipe. Recorded 18 November 2005.

Carrots, Onions, Celery, Peppercorns, and Allspice Simmer

Broth:

4 onions coarsely cut through the poles (Note: preserves structure)
4 large carrots coarsely cut
1 cup cut celery
about 1/4 c ketchup (see Note)
3 allspice berries + 6 peppercorns (put in cheese cloth or tea ball)
1 T salt

Place ingredients in an 6-quart pot, cover with water, bring to boil,
and then simmer covered until onions are soft.

Meatballs:

1 lb ground sirloin
1 large onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, mashed
about 1/2 cup matzoh meal, or dry bread crumbs, as needed to form balls 
salt, pepper, garlic powder

3 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 c cabbage, coarsely chopped

Form small meatballs with wet hands. When broth is ready,
raise heat to a boil and add the meatballs, cabbage, and potatoes.
Simmer slowly, partly covered until potatoes and cabbage are tender.
Remove spices before serving. Serves 6 or more.

 Dorothy with cigarette in Phyl's garden

Note:

That is, about what can be rinsed out of an "empty" bottle, or to taste. What triggered our mom to make this dish, which we all loved, was when the Heinz ketchup bottle reached the state where no amount of robust thumping of the overturned bottle would coax any more out.