Do you also find these mid-summer days super for getting together with family, old friends, neighbors…happy reviving connections? July has brought my first-born grandson (whom I hadn’t seen in years) to our door…and soon good Los Angeles friends will be tooling by…then friends coming down from Napa. So forth. Marvelous.
What to have ready to serve? I love meat loaf…offered hot the first night, then at room temp or cold (but not too–you lose flavor in cold) the next two or even three lunches and suppers.
Marion Cunningham—beloved American resource under the guise of cooking legend Fannie Farmer*—has a meat loaf I love. (It’s also very close to another favorite from America’s Test Kitchen**). I have fiddled with Marion’s recipe (just a tad) to suit our taste… It’s easy, fast, oh so flexible… Use any meats you fancy. And various moistening liquids added to the blend create unique texture, flavor.
The only other alteration to Marion’s recipe I make is to sauté the chopped onions and garlic before mixing in. Added raw, I’ve found some onions, even after baking, can taste sharp, draw attention to themselves.
Wonderful with any form of potatoes, a humongous green salad, and cornbread. Maybe icebox (or kosher) pickles. Radishes (but I find no one reaches for a radish when I set them out, discouraging). Fresh fruit and/or ice cream for dessert. Yum.
Happy summer cooking for friends!
Large Luscious Three-Meat Loaf
(Serves 8)
1 pound ground lean beef (85-90% lean)
1 pound ground turkey or dark meat of chicken
1 pound ground pork or mild Italian-style pork sausage
1 generous tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/2 large onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, through a garlic press
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard–grainy, for preference
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
3/4 cup red wine–or milk, buttermilk, plain yogurt
3 cups (lightly packed) fresh breadcrumbs (French bread, for preference)|
About 1 cup catsup/ketchup to cover the top
N.B. I have found salt is not needed…but a few turns of the pepper mill are welcome.
For the baking pan, rather than the traditional loaf pan (which is thick through the middle) I prefer to bake the mixture in a shape that evens out oven’s heat. I’ve oven formed the mixture in a 2-quart Pyrex casserole, then turned it out onto a rimmed baking sheet. Or I have a broad pie dish with a 2-quart capacity, baked it in that—best. It’s in the photograph.
Start a generous 2 hours before planning to serve.
Place meats in a very large bowl and with clean moist hands blend the three thoroughly. Cover with a cloth.
Set your oven rack in the middle, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm the oil, then sauté onions and garlic, stirring frequently, till softened, about 5 minutes. Spread on a dish to cool.
In a medium bowl, break in the eggs, add Worcestershire sauce, mustard, thyme, and chosen liquid. Blend well–a whisk does a good job. Add to the meats.
In the medium bowl, use a fork to thoroughly blend onions and garlic into breadcrumbs. Add to the meats.
Now use a fork or your hands to blend all ingredients thoroughly.
Test the mix by sautéing a tablespoonful in the onions/garlic skillet over medium heat—turn over, cook thoroughly. If you think it wants salt, sprinkle 1 teaspoonful into the mix, then blend, cook another taste.
Spread evenly in your baking dish or pan.
Spread the top with catsup/ketchup, as much as is needed to moisten the mixture while baking.
Bake till your meat thermometer in the center registers 160 degrees, about 1-1/4 hours. Cool 10 to 20 minutes before serving, to let juices settle.
Yum.
*The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.Thirteenth Edition. By Marion Cunningham. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2011.
** The New Best Recipe. By The Editors of Cook’s Illustrated. America’s Test Kitchen. Brookline, Massachusetts, 2004.
