Awhile back, Linda requested I post Gordon Ramsay's meatloaf recipe from the episode of the UK series of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares in which he helps Mama Cherri. To be honest, I scoured the interweb and had no luck finding it. Recently, a visitor named Marcus posted the recipe as a comment. Here it is in its entirety:

Gordon Ramsay's Meatloaf

50g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 green pepper, finely chopped
4 spring onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
125ml evaporated milk
125ml tomato ketchup
750g minced beef
250g minced pork or sausage meat
2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
250g breadcrumbs
Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion, celery, pepper, spring onions, garlic, parsley, chilli sauce, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Cook over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, for about 6 minutes.

2 Add the evaporated milk and ketchup and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Discard the bay leaves.

3 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

4 Place the beef and pork in a large bowl, add the eggs, breadcrumbs and vegetable mixture, and season. Place the mixture in an ungreased roasting dish and bake for 25 minutes. Raise the temperature to 200C/Gas 6 and bake
for a further 35-40 minutes.

5 Serve from the roasting dish.

Back around Jan. 7th, JOR! posted his mom's meatloaf recipe. Since Sami Lama requested it, here it is reposted for everyone's enjoyment and edification.

Meat Loafs (Loaves?)

1 1/2 pounds hamburger
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 egg beaten
3/4 cup milk

Sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard

1. Make 6 small loaves (must be round, not square) - cover with sauce, on top only, of course.
2. Bake 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Pretty simple and straight forward and oh so delicious. These meat pucks, and I mean that in the most flattering of ways, are 'old-school exceptional' on my meatloaf scale.

How teasing can I be?? What kind of quesion is that? I will tease as much is needed, god-damn'it! Anyway...

As requested, here is the loaf recipe I made the other day. It is pretty simple, but in hindsight, I think it could be a little tastier. With some modifications, (I glazed it differently and it needs more internal flavour than just ketchup) it was taken from the Everything Tastes Better with Bacon cookbook.

Schmidty's Meat Loaf

3 think slices bacon, cut in half
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup ground breadcrumbs
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. In a skillet, cook the bacon until limp and barely cooked. Put aside, reserve 1 tbsp of bacon drippings in skillet.

3. Saute the onions in same skillet for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.

4. Combine onions with all remaining ingredients in large bowl. Don't over mix.

5. Place in loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes.

6. Remove from oven, and arrange bacon across top of loaf.

7. Return to oven and bake for 40 minutes longer. Remove from oven, let stand for ten minutes and serve.

Now it should be mentioned that I made these small. I split the ingredients into two and baked them in smaller loaf tins.
The salt shaker was used for scale. Here is one up close.


And not to worry, the recipe for the Italian loaf is on the way.

My dear friend Kate sent me a short anecdote about growing up in her household. Her Mom, who I have known my entire waking life, is a phenomenal cook. And she is the most patrician woman named Patricia I have ever met. I never imagined she would ever cook a meatloaf, but according to Kate she did, on special days. Have a look:

"As kids, we got to choose our own birthday suppers. For a few years in a row I chose....meat loaf. I think this was in the Eva [the best Hungarian gourmet family friend anyone could ask for - editor] years when food at our house took a turn for the gourmet and meatloaf fell out of favour with the chef. What I really wanted was "frosted" meatloaf - oh yes, the loaf can be coated with a creamy white casing of mashed potatoes...I have seen photos in my Betty Crocker Junior Cooks cookbook. But I never got it. The mashed potatoes were always on the side... probably thesis writing and tending house and kids did not leave a lot of time for a left-handed, uncrafty-type to drive herself insane trying to smear potatoes evenly over a log of ground meat..."

Well, this was the first time I had ever heard of this 'frosted' loaf and to be honest, it really intrigued me. Albeit, 'frosted' loaf sounds like Shepherd's Pie without a 5pm visit from the gravy train, but what do I know. So as any enterprising blogger would, I googled it. And let me tell all of you once and for all. My Google-Fu is stronger than yours!!! So here is a simple recipe (from a very God-fearing woman named Heneliz) for...

Frosted Meatloaf

1 egg
1/3 cup quick oats
1/3 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 tsp salt
dash black pepper
1/3 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
instant mashed potatoes(or real,it's up to you)
sliced american cheese
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic

1. In a bowl beat egg and add oats, barbeque sauce, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chopped onion and minced garlic. Mix well add ground beef & mix with hands.

2. Put your meat mixture into a loaf pan, bake at 350 degree oven for 1 hr & 15 mins. Remove from oven and drain fat.

3. Make instant potatoes according to package directions but use only 1/2 the milk. Spread the potatoes over top and sides of meatloaf bake 15 minutes more.

4. Put american cheese slices on top of potatoes and let melt before serving. Place meatloaf on serving platter and slice. You may substitute any kind of cheese you like.

I would pay particular attention to the last sentence. Please, by the will of God, substitute ANY kind of cheese you like. American cheese isn't!

And Kate, maybe it is time you frosted one up for your kids.

Well, today I realised I wasn't the smartest man I know (no, it isn't you either Nick). It just so happens that the smartest man I know is a woman. Anna, during a very engaging discussion about the loaf, stated, and I paraphrase, "Well, it seems very Atkins friendly". Boy is she right. And maybe this is the exact thing we need to get meatloaf back into it's rightful place on the kitchen tables of America.

So for your enjoyment and recipe boxes, here is a meatloaf recipe approved by the good Doctor.

Mushroom-Flavored Meatloaf

Mushrooms, Parmesan and herbs jazz up plain-old meatloaf for a dish that just might become a family staple. Serve with roasted vegetables on the side for a nourishing and hearty autumn meal.


Ingredients
2 slices low-carb white bread, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano), divided
8 thinly sliced white mushrooms
7 finely chopped scallions, including half of the green tops
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 pounds ground chuck or ground turkey
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup ice water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with foil. Cover a wire rack with foil; prick foil in several places with a fork. Place rack in pan; set aside.

2. Pulse bread in a food processor to make fine crumbs. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.

3. In a small cup combine 1 tablespoon bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon Parmesan; set aside.

4. In a 12-inch skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, scallions and garlic; sauté until mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes.

5. Transfer mushroom mixture to food processor and process until finely chopped.

6. In a large bowl, gently combine ground meat, plain bread crumbs, mushroom mixture, cream, water, egg, remaining Parmesan, salt, thyme, pepper and all but 2 tablespoons parsley. Mix until evenly blended. Transfer mixture to a work surface and form into a 9- by-5-inch loaf.

7. Place loaf on prepared rack. Bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle top of loaf with bread-crumb topping. Bake until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into center of loaf registers 160°F for chuck or 165°F for turkey and bread-crumb topping is nicely browned, 20 to 25 minutes more.

8. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Garnish with reserved 2 tablespoons parsley.

Everything courtesy of


Thanks Anna!

Tonight I made my first meatloaf in months, so I thought I would share the recipe with you. It was modified from a recipe I found in The All-American Truck Stop Cookbook.

Beef & Lamb Meatloaf

4 cups sliced mushrooms
4 cups chopped onions
1 tbsp butter
1 lb lean ground lamb
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 cup skim milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tbsp ground savory
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tbsp dried sage
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Glaze
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1 1/2 tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Saute the mushrooms and onions in the butter until most of the juice is gone. Put them aside and let them cool. Preheat oven at 375F. Combine all ingredients in large bowl, mix thoroughly. Place mixture in loaf pan. Combine glaze ingredients in bowl. Pour mixture over loaf, spreading evenly. Cook loaf for about 1 1/2 hours or until internal temperature is 150F. Let stand ~20 minutes before serving.

Enjoy.