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.

Last Thanksgiving, I tried my hand at making a meatless loaf. Actually, I tried to make two that would complement each other as an entree for the sole vegetarian in our group. Going through my photo archive I found that I had some nice pix taken by Chris McNDP on his fancy new camera. Also, thanks to Miss Julia for the bag of grits, all the way from North Carolina.

Anyways, here is the recipe and a couple of photos of my Grits and Greens Loaf.

Grits and Greens Loaf

3 tbsp unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
2 pkg chopped frozen spinach
3 tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cups skim milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 cup uncooked grits
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Generously butter a loaf pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with breadcrumbs. Thaw and squeeze excess moisture out of spinach.

3. In medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp of butter. Carefully cook onion and garlic until tender. Add spinach and cook further for about 2 minutes. Set aside.

4. In a 1.5l suacepan, bring milk, salt, pepper and cayeene to slow boil. Stir in grits, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly until grits are thick. Stir in remaining 2 tbsp of butter, cheese and spinach mixture.

5. In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Whisk in about 1 cup of grits mixture to warm the eggs. Blend the egg mixture back into grits suacepan.

6. Pour mixture into loaf pan. Place pan in larger pan half filled with water. Bake until firm, puffed and golden, about 45-55 minutes. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

I served this with a vegetarian mushroom and onion gravy as well as an attempted Sweet Potato and Tofu loaf (which didn't turn out).


It was very tasty and a great addition to the Thanksgiving feast at Gangster and Sarah's.

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.

A little while ago my friend Pasta sent me a short note about his first experience making a 'loaf. Since he lives in Colorado, a state that has a strong history with the cattle industry and deep in the centre of the US of A, the home of meatloaf, I thought he may have gotten by purely on karma and osmosis. Boy, was I wrong!

Hey Pete:

I hope to have a story with a better outcome for you next time:

Sex has been said to be like pizza. Even when its bad, its still not that bad. I assure you this does not hold true for meatloaf.

I made a meatloaf tonight from a recipe that I found on the web. It was a Martha Stewart Recipe. It was a meatloaf gone wrong.

I would love to tell you that Martha's meatloaf recipe was a no frills dish that she and her fellow cons may have enjoyed some Thursday evening, a dish that was more for hiding a file than for delivering true nourishment. Alas, the recipe was from 2000, so I need to take at least some of the blame. I'm not sure what went wrong, but what did go wrong, went very wrong. It was not overcooked. It had a nice glaze. The consistency was not too bad. So - I can't really tell you what exactly was wrong with it, other than something was. And this was not an isolated opinion. A frozen pizza was quickly de-thawed for the rest of the family. I however was not as quick to abandon the meal. I figured - its cooked I may learn something from it. What I learned was that this meatloaf was ONLY a vehicle for mustard - and frankly not a very good one at that. I actually had to abandon the mustard for a stronger smokier barbecue sauce, and then just had to throw in the towel. Perhaps our kind host can help me with a simple recipe that minimizes the chance of me screwing it up.

Well, not knowing exactly what steps transpired really ties my hands, but I will give it a go.

According to Dame Melanie Barnard, whose cookbook I praised elsewhere on this 'blog, meatloaves consist or "four categories or ingredients: a main protein, a starch, a binder, and seasonings." You would be hard pressed to find a recipe that doesn't fit this template and I am pretty sure Martha's didn't stray too far from it. What I am about to share are the key tips to each of the four categories. Hopefully, the mistake will be obvious.

Main protein - The key is using a fairly lean fresh (not frozen) selection of meat. Extra lean and/or expensive cuts are generally pointless as they don't add anything except pretension and a little fat is needed for flavour and moistness.

Starch - The starch makes the 'loaf juicy, softer and more flavourful by absorbing the released juices from cooking protein. That is its purpose. The best choice is bread crumbs/chunks from a 1 to 2 day old loaf. Stale or old bread crumbs can actually make a loaf taste off, especially breadcrumbs kept in the freezer for a long time. Freezer burn has a very strong flavour.

Binder - The binder is what keeps the starch and protein together and not crumbling apart in the mixing process. Most starches are quite dry and proteins only release juices when cooked. The binder is best if it is a bland flavour carrying agent like eggs or dairy product (ie milk, yoghurt, or, god forbid, cream). It is there to keep the starch from sucked all the mosture out of the protein as well as keeping the whole package together in its loaf shape.

Seasonings - A lot of spices are best used fresh. If adding vegetables (ie carrots, onions, celery, etc) it is best to cook them lightly before adding them to the mixture. The cooking brings out more flavoured moisture. Dried spices more than a year old may have lost a lot of their flavour. One key thing is that seasonings should be used "with an assertive hand" as they truly make the loaf.

Also, if the recipe used was the one I linked to then be warned that chili sauce means something different now than it did even a few years ago. Chili sauce doesn't mean the Asian variety of textured hot sauce, but more like the Heinz Ketchup-version mixed with chili and peppers. It isn't inordently spicy.

Hope this helps. Please let me know if you try again. Oh, and I miss you too Mark.

I know. I have been very remiss in posting lately. It has almost been a week and the last post said I was going to post the results from the pre-packaged taste off.

Sorry. The html tabling of the results has annoyed me enough to throw up my hands and swear. Loudly.

It will arrive soon. Please have patience. Until then, here is a little taste.

I made meatloaf!

Last Thursday was Tex-Mex night at mi Casa, so here is...

Peter's Chicken Mexi-Cali Loaf
A Mexican inspired loaf. Tastey, fragrant and sure to be a crowd pleaser. Quick and easy, this is the one to try (inspite of the picture).


Ingredients

2 lbs lean ground chicken
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 jalapeno, chopped fine
1 can refried beans
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup chili sauce
3 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Glaze

1 cup Green salsa
2 tbsp citrus hot sauce
3 tbsp honey

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Pour mixture into loaf tin.

4. Bake for 1 hour. Mix glaze ingredients in small bowl.

5. Remove loaf from oven and pour glaze mixture in loaf tin, covering loaf evenly.

6. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand for 1o minutes; slice and serve with additional green salsa.

A few days ago, Athena mentioned her idea about a 'Thanksgiving Loaf', which was basicly a turkey meatloaf with a vein of dressing (stuffing to you mainlanders) running through it. On Saturday, I was all keyed up when I was leaving work from selling roughly 1000 copies of Harry Potter combined with seeing almost every child in the free world get excited about reading. So needless to say I was jazzed and needed an outlet. Making a meatloaf seemed to be as good an idea as not and since I had been negligent in that area I felt it was my duty to try something new. So without further ado, here is:

Stuffed Turkey Loaf with Sweet Potato Frosting

2lbs lean ground turkey
2 med carrots, grated and chopped
1 lrg onion, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup cream of celery soup, undiluted or milk
2 tbsp chili sauce or ketchup
1 tbsp dried rosemary, ground
1 tsp black pepper, ground
all-purpose flour

Dressing/Stuffing
1 box Pepperidge Farms Stuffing
1 stalk of celery
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp savory, ground

Sweet Potato Frosting
1 lrg sweet potato (I mean large, use two if you are unsure)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, ground
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 375F.

2. Combine carrots, onions, mushrooms, garlic, rosemary and pepper in large bowl. Add turkey, soup and chili sauce. Mix evenly with hands.

3. Lay out large sheets of wax paper and dust with flour. Lay turkey mixture out and roll flat until about an inch thick with rolling pin or bottle (I personally use a full bottle of Jameson's). Width should equal length of loaf pan. (see below)



4. Mix your dressing according to instructions on the box or make it from scratch (I sauteed onions and celery which I combined with my box dressing. I also added savory to make it taste more like traditional Newfoundland dressing). Distribute dressing/stuffing evenly over tukey mixture leaving small area at either end uncovered. (see below)


5. Roll turkey mixture into a loaf as you would roll a jelly-roll. Lightly press to connect join at end. (see below)



6. Place roll in loaf tin and bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 180-190F.

7. Boil sweet potato in salted water until soft. Drain (you may want to reserve some of the water for a gravy base) and mash. Add cinnamon, 3/4 tbsp brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste.

8. Take meatloaf out of oven when cooked. Cover top of loaf with uniform coating of potato mixture. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar on top of loaf. Broil for 5-10 minutes or until sugar begins to caramelize. Remove meatloaf from oven. (see below)


9. Let stand for 10 minutes. Slice and serve. (I served it with mushroom gravy - see below)

A few things I learned were, firstly, make your dressing/stuffing a little drier than you think as it absorbs a lot of the meat juices. Secondly, it is important to get that internal temperature up because, although it is a meatloaf, it is still poultry. And finally, it may be a little better with a brown sugar glaze instead of sprinkled sugar.

All in all, a pretty good recipe that is easy to modify to your ideas about Thanksgiving. Although, in making it it reminded me of an old joke whose punchline is "Wrecked 'im? Damn near killed 'im!".

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.