Italian Meatloaf

Throughout my cooking career, I've had limited success with meatballs, trying multiple recipes.  Some were tastier than others, and many fell apart while simmering in tomato sauce.  Forming and frying or baking meatballs is also time consuming.  Then I stumbled on the idea of Italian meatloaf--meatball flavor with the ease of a loaf!

The recipe that follows is my take on the Italian meatloaf from Desperation Entertaining and  a recipe for meatballs in Sunday gravy created by Cook's Illustrated.

Italian Meatloaf
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (more or less)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp Italian herb mix, optional
1 # ground beef, 93% lean
1-2 ounces prosciutto, chopped fine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup onion, minced
pasta sauce, optional

• Combine bread cubes, buttermilk, parsley, garlic, egg yolk, and spices.  Mash with a fork until no bread chunks remain.
• Add ground beef, prosciutto, Parmesan, and onion.  Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands.
• Pat mixture into a pan, cover with optional pasta sauce, and bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Notes:

• Use a high quality sandwich bread, like Arnold Country White or Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White.
• The Italian herb mix is optional.  You can wing it by combining oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, and/or cracked rosemary.
• I usually prepare this recipe times six (6# meat).  I'll bake 1/3 and freeze the rest (raw) in two separate gallon freezer bags.  I freeze them flat on a baking sheet so they'll store neatly and thaw quickly.
• If you try this x6, you'll have plenty of egg whites left.  Here's a source of ideas in case you want to use the whites instead of tossing them:  recipes.
• Prosciutto is expensive and flavorful, so I usually use the smaller amount listed.
• For best results, buy the tastiest Parmesan you can afford.  Real cheese is so much better than what comes in a can!
• If you're making a big batch, the food processor can be a huge help.  Use it to grate the Parmesan, if needed.  The parsley should be chopped next, followed by (in any order now) the onion, garlic, and prosciutto.
• At the bottom of this post I've typed in the ingredient amounts needed for a x6 batch.
• If you use more than 1# of meat, your loaf will of course take more than 30 minutes to bake.  If you're in a hurry, shape it into a ring instead of a slab:

Buon Appetito!

Italian Meatloaf x6
12 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh parsley (more or less)
12 cloves garlic, crushed
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp Italian herb mix, optional
 6# ground beef, 93% lean
6-12 ounces prosciutto, chopped fine
3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups onion, minced
pasta sauce, optional

In a Hurry?

Try forming your dinner into a shape that bakes more quickly!

Coming soon?--a recipe for Italian meatloaf.

Coffee Cake Kit

I've got several "go to" recipes for Sunday morning treats, but decided to try Carole Walters' recipe for Butter Crumb Coffee Cake anyway.  It's a winner!

A simply flavored cake with a generous portion of streusel, it's not overly complicated to make, either.  After I baked it for the first time, though, I realized that this cake is a great candidate for a make-ahead kit.  One afternoon I used the food processor to put three sets together, then stashed them in the fridge. 

On Sunday it took just 22 minutes to put everything together and into the oven.  That may not sound quick, but it seemed so to me.  If I had prepared my pan and portioned out my liquid ingredients the night before, I could have shaved off even more time.  And once the cake was baking, the counter was almost clean.  I only had to toss a few bowls and such into the sink--quite an improvement over other early morning baking sessions!

So here's my version of Carole's recipe (8-10 servings at our house, 10-12 at hers).  I increased the nuts in the streusel (fourfold!) and changed some of the technique.  First, the kits:

Cake mix
Combine in a food processor:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Add
1/2 cup (1 stick) soft, unsalted butter
Process again until the dry ingredients are completely coated.  You won't have chunks of butter (like when making scones or biscuits or pie crust), but a yellowish flour mixture.  Store in the fridge in a one quart freezer bag.

Streusel mix
Combine in a food processor:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon (or more)
1/2 tsp baking powder
scant 1/2 tsp salt
Add
1 cup walnuts or pecans
Pulse until the nuts are finely chopped.  Store in the fridge in a one pint freezer bag.

To bake:  Ideally, take the kits out of the refrigerator the night before so the butter in the cake mix can come up to room temperature.  If your daughter's crazy cat is about, hide it in the microwave or a cabinet until morning.

Mix the streusel:  Heat 2/3 cup unsalted butter until it's almost melted.  Stir to finish melting.  Stir in the streusel mix and set aside for 10-15 minutes so the flour can absorb the butter.

Prepare the 10" springform pan:  Grease the pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, grease the paper, and flour the whole thing.  Tap out any excess flour.

Prepare the cake:
Whisk together
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla (use the best you can)

1. Dump the cake mix into a large bowl.  Add the liquid ingredients.
2. Beat with a spoon or spatula until the batter is smooth, about one minute.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of a large soup spoon or offset spatula.
4. Take a handful of the streusel crumbs and squeeze gently to form a large clump.  Then break the clump apart and sprinkle the crumbs onto the batter.  Repeat until all of the streusel mixture has been used.  Lightly press the streusel into the batter.
5. Bake the cake for about 50 minutes (the original recipe says 40-45, which is never enough in my oven), or until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.  I like to remove the sides of the pan and work a spatula under the parchment paper.  Then I slide the whole cake onto a cutting board.
7. The cake is supposed to be dusted with powdered sugar just before serving, but so far (3X) I have always forgotten that!  No one seems to mind . . .   ;-)