PeaceBang
The manic mind of the minister -- Auntie Mame Meets Cotton Mather. Blogging about Unitarian Universalism, UU Christian spiritual practice, occasional cultural and political ravings, and the inner life of ministry. PeaceBang is the alter ego of a small town pastor serving an historic New England Unitarian Universalist congregation.
Mark Bittman’s Meatloaf Recipe: Super Huge, Fat Thumbs Up
February 26, 2008 on 10:32 pm | In Them's Eats! |Please allow me to share with you the most delicious meatloaf recipe I have EVER used. Vegetarians, my apologies for what is to follow.
Mark Bittman’s Meatloaf Recipe
from How To Cook Everything
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, preferably fresh
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 pounds mixed ground meats: beef, veal, lamb, and/or pork (I used half pork and half beef)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 5-6 crumbled, dried fresh sage leaves or 1 tsp dried (I used about six dried leaves from last summer’s garden & I think it was the winning ingredient)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 small onion minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 slices bacon optional but good, especially if the meat is very lean
What’s Next:
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk until the milk is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
2. Mix together all ingredients except bacon. Shape the meat into a loaf in a baking pan (I baked it on a rack to keep it from soaking in its own fat); top with bacon if you like ( I did).
Bake 60 minutes, basting occasionally with rendered pan juices. When done, meat loaf will be lightly browned and firm, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meat loaf will read 160 F, cook for 1 hr.
I made this for dinner tomorrow night but of course SweetieBang and I had to “sample it.” We had to wrap it in foil immediately and treat it like plutonium because it was so heavenly delicious we knew it wouldn’t last the night if we left it on the counter for one more second.
Yes, I’m still on Weight Watchers. Yes, this is one big fat and cholesterol bomb. But dern it, a gal likes to make a big ole meat loaf now and then, and we’ve been all about big salads and roasted vegetables and small portions of pasta for weeks (except for that one Oscar night pu pu platter situation).
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Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything” is hands down the world’s greatest cookbook (and this from a household with many, many cookbooks). His recipes call for ingredients you are likely to have around anyway, his instructions are clear and detailed, and every recipe comes with several variations. We have had fantastic luck with nearly everything in the book. If you are going to have only one cookbook, this is it.
A caution: if you are going out to buy one, do NOT buy the first edition. It is badly bound, and everyone I know who has one complains that it is falling apart. Ours is in about six pieces.
PB, ease up on the fatty woes. Is this meatloaf weather or what??? Go for it, and nosh on baby carrots tomorrow.
Comment by Judy Welles — February 26, 2008 #
bacon? really? sounds delish… coming from someone whose never actually had meatloaf… but who makes meat-loaf like burgers.
Sometimes I like to throw some tofu in there too, and /or chives.
Comment by Justine Urbikas — February 27, 2008 #
Yup, hands down the best cookbook ever, and yup, ours is falling apart, too. And sauce stained in lots of places.
Comment by Jess — February 27, 2008 #
“How to Cook Everything” was the first gift I gave my sweetie, and 2.5 years later he is still using it … he loves it. It’s a great cookbook - wonderful staples. We were wondering about the meatloaf. He keeps putting off because he wants to grind his own meat.
Comment by h sofia — February 27, 2008 #
No need to apologize to vegetarians.
Comment by Charlie Talbert — February 27, 2008 #
That’s a LOT of sage, especially if dried.
Comment by Jean — February 27, 2008 #
If you want a fantastic meatloaf with much less fat and cholesterol, try this recipe with ground buffalo. Best ever!
Comment by Herman A. Peterson — February 29, 2008 #
An alternative to the bacon is ketchup spread over the top. It will do the same thing as the bacon, but doesn’t add all that fat and cholesterol. My mother used to do this (and her recipe for meatloaf was very similar to this one, too).
Comment by Mary — March 1, 2008 #