…and so it came to pass,
three pounds of lean ground beef defrosted and I am clueless as to what to do
with it. I had a game plan when I took
it out of the freezer, but the idea just seems unappetizing suddenly. Writers get “writer’s block”, so shouldn’t a
cook get “I don’t feel like cooking now block”?
*sigh* but the meat is defrosted, can’t be refrozen and finances dictate
that eating at a restaurant is not feasible.
Personal recipe book out,
flipping through the pages, looking for a meal that can be made without too
much effort. Aha! The old time favorite that seems to bring a
sense of comfort and satisfies…meatloaf!
What to serve with it though? So
tired of mashed potatoes with a vegetable; wait, wait, I have leftover homemade
macaroni and cheese. Oh dear, that’s
when the desire for something simple and easy got kicked into creative gear.
Of course, no article on
cooking will be complete without a bit of historical referencing. Meatloaf was not an American culinary
invention; sorry to burst your bubble Betty Crocker. A manuscript, called an Apicius, dating back
to 900 A.D., is a collections of recipes; one being a loaf made of minced meat
(real meat, not the fruity stuff put into pies). The Apicius was named for Marcus Gavius
Apicius, a Roman gourmet who lived during the reign of Tiberius. American meatloaf’s origin began with the
Pennsylvania Dutch (Amish and Mennonite) who brought a recipe for scrapple
(mixture of cornmeal and ground pork) from their homeland, Germany.
Basic of meatloaf, a
ground meat mixed with some type of ground grain, maybe seasoned with herbs and
spices, then baked or smoked. The “loaf”
part of the name indicates the cooking was done in a loaf pan of some type
which made for easily portioned slices.
Served with brown gravy, that’s Swedish style; stuffed with hard boiled
eggs, ham and cheese is welcome to Italy; ketchup, tomato sauce or brown sugar
glaze on top and hello to the USA.
International cuisines have developed their own styles as trading of
goods introduced new foods, spices and cooking techniques.
What happened with my
basic meatloaf? I took the macaroni and
cheese and served it up of course, inside the meatloaf. That’s right, I stuffed it! The aroma in the kitchen was awesome, but the
taste of the final product was out of this world.
Ingredients:
3 lbs. lean ground beef
1 (12 oz.) bag dried
stuffing cubes
1 cup milk
1 (15.5 oz. can) diced
tomatoes with sweet onions (available at Blue Mountain Foods)
1 cup diced green bell
pepper
2 Tbsp. saltless seasoning
mix
1 tsp. ground black pepper
5 cups macaroni and cheese
(see Note)
Ketchup for glazing
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F; line
a 4 quart baking dish with aluminum foil and spray foil with nonstick cooking
spray. Line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper, wax paper or aluminum
foil.
In a large mixing bowl,
mix together all ingredients except the macaroni and cheese and the ketchup.
Invert bowl over center of jelly roll pan and deposit mixture onto it. Flatten
mixture out to edges of pan. Cut macaroni and cheese into 3 sections and line
up edge to edge down lengthwise center of flattened meatloaf mixture.
Put hands under lining and
carefully lift mixture over filling, press down firmly and carefully peal back
lining; repeat with other long side. Seal the seam over the filling and the
sides of the meatloaf; smooth the meatloaf mixture over to create a firm seal.
Turn the baking dish over
the meatloaf; with one hand hold down the baking dish while lifting the jelly
roll pan with the other hand; flip over and let the meatloaf drop into the
baking dish. Remove the lining off the meatloaf; make sure to position the
meatloaf down the center of the baking dish; smooth over any cracks that may
have opened. Brush ketchup over top and sides of meatloaf to create the glaze.
Place baking dish on
center rack of oven and bake for one hour; brush a second layer of ketchup over
the top and sides and bake for one additional hour.
The meatloaf will be too
large to remove from the baking dish, so cut slices and use a narrow spatula to
remove to a plate.
Makes 12-14 servings
depending on how large the slices are cut.
Note: The Macaroni and
Cheese used should have been made previously and refrigerated in a rectangular
container to make for easier slicing. My
macaroni and cheese is a 4-cheese recipe; perhaps I’ll share that in another
article.
Mary Cokenour
