The following meatloaf recipe would be good for a family dinner when there is plenty of time to plan ahead. There is a bit of prep involved, but the results are worth it. If you read the recipe and see that you don’t have the exact ingredients don’t let that dissuade you from forging ahead. Cooking is super flexible (unlike baking) a recipe will not be “ruined” if you don’t have the precise ingredients. For example, any grade milk will work – it does not have to be whole milk. You could use anything from skim milk to cream. Perhaps you have scallions instead of an onion – use them! Soy sauce instead of Worcestershire. White wine vinegar instead of cider vinegar. Nutmeg in place of allspice. Raisins instead of prunes. Ground turkey instead of pork. Curly parsley instead of flat-leaf – or no parsley at all, just leave it out! It took me many years to be brave like this in the kitchen, but now I’m having much more fun.
| Meatloaf | Print |
- 1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (can process leftover Red Hen bread)
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium celery rib, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- ½ cup pitted prunes, chopped
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ flat-leaf parsley
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Soak bread crumbs in milk in a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, cook onion, garlic, celery and carrot in butter in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low, then cook until carrot is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, allspice, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste. Add to bread-crumb mixture.
- Finely chop bacon and prunes in a food processor, then add to onion mixture along with beef, pork, eggs and parsley and mix together with your hands.
- Pack mixture into a loaf pan and then bake until an instant read thermometer registers 155 degrees, about 1 to 1¼ hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.