CLASSIC MEATLOAF

The real title of this post should be “Mom’s Meatloaf,” as this is the very same recipe I grew up eating as a child.  A perennial favorite in our household, few meatloaves deliver in the way this barbecue sauce-topped rendition does.  The epitome of comfort, my Mom would be the first to tell you that this dish is “hard to screw up.”  In fact, it’s the simplicity of this recipe that makes it a true standout in my mind.  Perfect for company, yet quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal, this tender and juicy meatloaf comes together in no time and feeds a crowd for next to nothing.  Covered with a sweet, tangy homemade barbecue sauce, this meatloaf is sure to please even the pickiest of eaters as few can resist it’s sticky, ketchup-like topping.  If you love meatloaf but can’t justify the saturated fat, substitute ground turkey for a version that is just as tasty and quite a bit healthier — you’ll barely notice the difference.  As good cold as it is served warm, this recipe also makes for a killer meatloaf sandwich.  So, in a world filled with so much bad meatloaf, do yourself a favor and go with a tried-and-true recipe that works.  Your family, friends and significant others will thank you.

CLASSIC MEATLOAF

The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity.  I like to briefly saute the onion prior to adding it to the loaf mixture in an effort to bring out a bit of its sweet character and remove a bit of its rawness.  I use panko instead of traditional breadcrumbs as I find their addition creates a more tender, lighter textured final meatloaf.  The barbecue sauce in this recipe is what makes this version a true winner.  I’ve outlined the basic technique below, but feel free to add any of your favorite ingredients to this simple sauce.  It will still appear to be a bit thin when added to the top of the meatloaf prior to baking, but don’t worry; it will thicken substantially during the hour and a half bake time in the oven.  Once cooked, the meatloaf will have given up some of its juices.  This is normal.  Allow the meatloaf to rest, as this will ensure that it reabsorbs some of those precious, flavorful juices.  If you are inclined to do so, defat the accumulated juices and reduce them in a small saucepan over low heat until slightly thickened for a killer gravy to top your sliced meatloaf.  Finally, feel free to use a combination of beef, pork and veal or go all beef or turkey if you want.  Either way, it’ll still turn out solid.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium onion, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 pound ground beef
  
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  
• 1 14-ounce can tomato puree, divided
  
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  
• 2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder or BBQ seasoning
  

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until hot and sweat the onion, stirring occasionally until just translucent and no longer raw, about 5 minutes.  Transfer the onion to a plate and allow to cool.
3. In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, cooled onions, half the tomato puree, eggs, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley.  Using clean hands, mix the ingredients thoroughly until well combined.  Lightly pack the mixture into a greased loaf pan and set aside while you prepare the barbecue sauce.
4. In a small saucepan, add the remaining tomato puree along with the mustard, cider vinegar, brown sugar, and chipotle powder.  Season the barbecue sauce to taste with salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer and allow to thicken slightly, about 5-8 minutes.  Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool a bit.
5. Pour the warm barbecue sauce on top of the prepared meatloaf and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf registers 150°.  Remove the loaf from the oven and place it on a rack to rest for at least 15-20 minutes.  Once rested, pour off excess juices (setting aside for gravy if desired), remove the loaf from the pan and slice into 1-inch thick slices.  Serve at once.
   

Serves 6-8

PANANG CURRY PASTE

Maybe I watched too many episodes of The Naked Chef when I was younger, but in my mind, there are few kitchen activities more satisfying than giving a handful of aromatic herbs and spices a good pounding in a large, heavy mortar. Handmade pesto is great and whole-toasted spices don’t last a second in the bowl of a nice granite model, but for me, it’s in the act of making Thai curry paste that Iget the most out of one of my simplest kitchen tools.
Making curry paste the authentic way is a tactile and fragrant experience. In fact, things oftentimes get so aromatic that Lauren practically has to lock herself in our bedroom to avoid the pungent odor of toasted shrimp paste – an essential component of true Thai curry. Here I’ve included a recipe for a paste to create one of my all-time favorite curries: panang. Citrus notes dominate due to the heavy use of lime zest, lime leaves, coriander seeds and lemongrass.
While some of the key ingredients might be hard to track down and the overall process requires a fair amount of prep, as Victor Sodsook points out in his cookbook, True Thai: The Modern Art of Thai Cooking, curry pastes are “like money in the bank.” An hour of hard work will pay off with intense, complex flavor in future dishes. Couple this with the fact that many pastes last weeks in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer, and you have a culinary resource that lends completed dishes a taste that will seem like it’s taken hours to build.
Check back tomorrow for recipe that puts this amazing paste to good use; Panang Beef Curry.

PANANG CURRY PASTE

From True Thai: The Modern Art of Thai Cooking by Victor Sodsook
This recipe employs the use of both a mortar and pestle as well as a food processor in the assembly of the curry paste. The mortar breaks down the tough fibers of the lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves, releasing valuable oils and aromas that would be lost if the food processor was used exclusively. If you’ve never used shrimp paste before, be warned, it’s pretty pungent stuff. I like to finely slice or scrape the shrimp paste from it’s container or block and then pack it into a tablespoon measurement for accurate proportioning.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package (3 ounces) dried red New Mexico chilies
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
• 2 tablespoons shrimp paste wrapped neatly in a double layer of aluminum foil
• Zest of 2 fresh Kaffir limes or 1 small domestic lime
• 10 (5 pairs) fresh Kaffir lime leaves or 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, including stems
• 1 large stalk lemon grass, tough outer leaves discarded, lower stalk trimmed to 3 inches and finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped, peeled galangal or common ginger
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped garlic
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped shallots

METHOD:

1. Stem the chilies, discarding most of the seeds and removing the dry, tough ribs. Cut or tear the chilies into 1-inch pieces and put them in a bowl. Cover the chilies with warm water to cover and let soak for 20-30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, lightly toast the coriander seeds in a small skillet set over medium heat until aromatic, about 3-5 minutes. Shake the pan frequently to prevent burning. Transfer the toasted coriander to a small bowl to cool and set aside.
3. Set the skillet back over medium heat and add the foil-wrapped shrimp paste. Cook, turning the packed over once or twice until aromatic, about 5 minutes. Remove the packet from the skillet and set aside to cool.
4. Put the toasted coriander in a large, heavy mortar and pestle and grind to a fine powder. Transfer the ground coriander to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
5. If using fresh lime leaves, stack them and cut them into fine slivers with a sharp knife. Combine the lime zest, slivered lime leaves, cilantro, lemongrass, and ginger in the mortar and pound for a minute to break down the fibers. Transfer the crushed mixture to the food processor.
6. Pound the garlic and shallots in the mortar until just crushed and transfer them to the food processor.
7. Unwrap the shrimp paste and add it to the food processor.
8. Drain the chilies from their soaking liquid, reserving about 1/2 cup of the water. Add the chilies to the food processor.
9. Pulse the ingredients to combine, process the mixture until a rich, moist paste forms, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved soaking liquid, if needed, to ease the grinding.
10. Store the finished panang curry paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Makes about 1 2/3 cups.