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.

Quick Onion-Mushroom Gravy

Developed March, 2023. Good companion to grilled or roast meats, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, steamed rice, noodles, spaetzle, or open-face sandwiches. 

1 T vegetable oil
2 oz button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 T all-purpose flour
1 t beef dry rub
1 T dry onion
8 oz hot water, divided
1 T beef or onion stock base (Better Than Bouillon™ is good)
1 T porcini powder
1 T tapioca or corn starch dispersed in 1 T cold water

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium and add mushrooms. Fry for a few minutes until they are browned. Stir in the flour, heat for a minute, then add the dry onion, the dry rub, and heat for another minute. Off heat, whisk in a 1/4 cup hot water to form a smooth slurry. Stir in stock base and porcini powder. When incorporated, stir in the remaining hot water, and simmer 5 minutes. Whisk in the starch slurry and heat until it thickens. The recipe is easily doubled.

Variations: Dilute the finished gravy with 1 cup beef stock to make a jus for French dip sandwiches or as a base for hearty soups or stews.

Steamed Chinese Meat Cake

Recorded from memory December 11, 2013. Not often encountered in Chinese restaurants in the US, steaming is widely used by home cooks in China. DrDaddy first prepared this dish in Seattle in 1968, following a simple cookbook, now lost. Reminder: save and dry the skin from your next tangerine.

1 lb pork shoulder
small can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
1 T dry tangerine skin, soaked, pith removed, and finely chopped
1/4 c chopped pickled vegetable (cabbage, mustard, salt turnip, or the like)
1 t garlic, minced
2 T corn starch
2 T soy sauce
1 t dark sesame oil

Cut meat into large cubes and freeze 30 minutes. With a heavy cleaver on a cutting board or with a food processor chop the meat until it is coarsely but completely minced. Put meat in a shallow bowl, and mix in the other ingredients, and press into a compact cake that fills the bottom of the bowl. Cut down with a knife to form six wedge-shaped slices to make it easier to serve. Place the bowl in a steamer for 20 to 30 minutes until done. Use a pot with a steamer insert or a bamboo steamer in a wok. Cut into serving pieces and top each serving with pan juice. Serves six as part of a Chinese meal.

Meat Loaf

Recorded January 27, 2012. Adapted from Alton Brown's Good Eats recipe.

2 lbs lean ground beef
1/2 lb pork sausage
1/2 T kosher salt
1 large egg, beaten
 
1/2 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 oz mushrooms, quartered
3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 sweet bell pepper, coarsely chopped

4 oz (1 sleeve) wheat saltines
1/2 t ground black pepper
2 T mushroom powder
2 t chili powder
1 t dried thyme

Heat oven to 325 degrees F (165 C). In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and pork gently. Mix in the egg. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper to the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped, but not pureed. Combine with the beef mixture. Next, process the crackers, black pepper, mushroom powder, chili powder, and thyme until the mixture is finely texture. Combine with other ingredients. Form the meat mixture into a loaf about 4 inches tall by 6 inches wide on a heavy sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Bake about 60 minutes. Internal temperature should be about 160 degrees F (70 ºC). Let cool 20 minutes before slicing. Suggested sides: roast tiny potatoes, mushroom gravy, and fresh green beans braised in butter and tarragon.

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.

Beef Mushroom Gravy

Developed November 15, 2009. 

1/2 lb brown meadow mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus, marketed as "baby bellas" or cremini)
2 c low-salt beef stock
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 t granulated garlic
2 T dry minced onion
1 T tapioca or corn starch, dispersed in cold stock or water

Heat the oil in a heavy 10-inch skillet until it shimmers. Separate the stems from the mushroom caps, chop the stems, and slice the caps. Sauté the chopped stems for a few minutes and add the sliced caps. Sauté until well browned, add the dry onion, granulated garlic, and the beef stock. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir the starch mixture and mix into the gravy. When it thickens, take off heat. Taste for salt before serving. Makes about 3 cups.