Love for the lowly meatloaf

Meatloaf is a dish that reached its zenith in the 1960s, when test kitchens for food manufacturers seemed to work overtime in concocting new meatloaf recipes. Women’s magazines featured dozens of meatloaf recipes, everything from stuffed meatloaves to frosted meatloaves and, eventually, even slimmed-down meatloaves that combined ground beef with ground turkey to reduce the fat and cholesterol load.

Meatloaf is a favorite comfort foods. It’s satisfying and it’s easy to make. I’m not going to speak on using ground veal or ground pork, or how you should go look for a meatloaf mix at your local megamart. I never dealt with those other ground meats in my meatloaf, though I understand why people would want to use them. Besides, ground veal isn’t that easy to find around here.

I do like to have some fat in my beef mixture, as fat helps to provide flavor and gives a sense of moistness in the meat. I wouldn’t go with anything less than a beef-to-fat ratio of 80 to 20, though a 75 to 15 would be just about ideal. Any less fat ratios are largely your call, as I understand some people need to do what they want to do.

The mixture can be stretched with veggies, bread and grains. It can become a complete meal in itself if you plan it right. You can use fresh or dry bread crumbs, seasoned stuffing mix, crushed crackers, rolled oats, or what my mom used all the time, rice. She used a par-cooked rice, but I have found that pre-cooked works okay.

What does meatloaf mean now? Some would think that you are being cheap, while others would think you creative. Most family-style restaurants serve it almost as an afterthought. Fine dining establishments almost never have it, unless it is made with ground salmon.

Why am I dealing with the so-called “lowly” meatloaf? It does not have to be a main dish in a meal for those who cannot afford fillet mignon. It can become a centerpiece in a meal featuring fluffy mashed potatoes, freshly steamed spinach, along with a favorite dessert, like a fruit sorbet. I usually make up a double batch to make sure I have leftovers to make into sandwiches.

CHEDDAR MEATLOAF

2 pounds ground beef

3/4 cup soft, fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup minced onion

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the beef, bread crumbs, onion, eggs, salt and pepper and mix well. Pat out meat mixture into a 14x18 inch rectangle on a piece of wax paper. Spread cheese over the meat, leaving a 3/4 inch border around the edges. Roll up jelly roll fashion, to enclose the filling and form a pinwheel loaf. Press beef in on both ends to enclose the cheese. Place in a 10x15 inch baking dish. Bake for 1 hour, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

SMOKY MEATLOAF

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup quick cooking oatmeal

1/8 cup cornmeal

1 cup dried bread crumbs

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup tomato juice

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

1 dash liquid smoke

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

2 dashes liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the beef, onion, oatmeal, cornmeal, bread crumbs, salt, sugar, egg, tomato juice, water, barbecue sauce, 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke and vinegar. Mix together thoroughly and place mixture into a lightly greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and 2 drops liquid smoke and mix thoroughly. Spread over the top of the meatloaf. Bake for approximately one hour.

MUSTARD MEATLOAF

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 eggs

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, salt, ground black pepper, eggs, onion flakes and 1/2 of the can of tomato sauce. Mix together well and place into a 5x9 inch loaf pan. Push the meatloaf down into the pan forming a well for the sauce around all the edges. Bake for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, white sugar and mustard. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. After meatloaf has cooked for 40 minutes, remove from oven and pour sauce over the top of the meatloaf. Return to oven and bake for 20 more minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before removing from pan.

ZUCCHINI MEATLOAF

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

3 small ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large celery stick, grated

1 cup leftover cooked carrot, mashed

1/2 small, very firm raw zucchini, grated

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all ingredients; place in a lightly greased loaf pan, and bake for 50 minutes, or until done.

SAUSAGE MEATLOAF

1 pound sausage

2 cups stewed tomato

2 cups mashed potato

3 cups bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons shortening

2 teaspoons salt

Pepper to taste

2 teaspoon sage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and place in a large loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.