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

Glazed Corned Beef

We always eat corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day.  My family enjoys it so much I could serve it more often; I usually manage just once or twice more a year.  My favorite treatment comes from Mable Hoffman's Crockery Cookery.  The meat is simmered in a crockpot, then brushed several times with a molasses-based glaze as it finishes in the oven.  Delicious!

Glazed Corned Beef, lightly adapted from Mable Hoffman's Crockery Cookery

1 (3 1/2 to 4#) corned beef brisket (flat cut is best)
2 Tbsp prepared mustard (I use Dijon)
1 1/2 tsp horseradish
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup molasses

• In a slow cooker, cover the corned beef with water.  Cook on low 10-12 hours or until tender.
• Drain the corned beef.  Gently remove the external fat layers.  Place the meat in a baking dish covered with heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Combine the remaining ingredients and brush on all sides of the meat.  Bake at 400, brushing with the sauce several times, about 20 minutes or until the beef begins to brown.  Cut across the grain.

Today I oh-so-gently simmered the corned beef on top of the stove for most of the day.  The 7# slab I bought was still partially frozen, so I didn't want to risk the slowness of the crockpot.  Besides, it's easier to cook the cabbage in the flavored broth already in a cooking pot instead of trying to transfer that liquid from the slow cooker.

Our traditional Irish dinner has always included cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and soda bread.  I've usually boiled all the vegetables, but admittedly they end up tasting pretty bland.  This year I briefly simmered only the cabbage in the corned beef broth, and it picked up a lot of flavor (more than usual--because the stock was made on the stove?).  The carrots were glazed with brown sugar and lemon juice, and I fried the potatoes with onions.  The traditional elements, ramped up just a bit.  Yum!

BTW, the soda bread is an adaptation (Of course; I rarely leave well enough alone!) of my mom's recipe.  I'll try to post that soon.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi is a classic Korean food, and perfect for summer grilling. It reminds me of an Asian taco: a lettuce "tortilla" filled with plain sticky rice and thin slices of marinated beef. The combination of crunchy, chewy, bland, and salty is fabulous!

A friend of mine was given this recipe by a Korean family she used to live near. The marinade ingredients can be tweaked to your taste.

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One note: You need meat that is sliced quite thin. I get this (frozen) at an Asian market. It is called (at least here) "beef rib eye thin sliced" (see below).

A 2# package is about right for us.Okay, another note: This is best as a summer dish. Of course you can grill in the winter, but you've got to stand over it the whole time, and it's hard to see when the meat needs flipping in the dark of December. You can also broil, griddle, or saute the beef, but it's not as tasty.

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Bulgogi

2# thin-sliced beef, thawed

3/4 cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 large bunch green onions, minced (including stems)

romaine or leaf lettuce

2 cups white rice, cooked (jasmine is quick and sticky enough)

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Combine soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and sesame seeds.

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Place a single layer of meat in a casserole dish. Spoon a little marinade over it. Repeat layers until all meat and marinade are used up. See how skinny? I've had it even thinner, which is easier to eat (less chewy), but more fragile and thus more difficult to cook.Cover the dish and refrigerate several hours or overnight. The meat is so thin that starting in the morning gives it plenty of time to soak up flavor by dinner.

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To cook, heat grill to high. Lay meat slices on grill. Turn once. If your grill is hot enough, you'll be able to starting turning as soon as you've laid out a full set of meat.

This former dietitian is still germ-phobic enough* to have an elaborate system involving paper towels and two spatulas to avoid cross contamination between the raw and cooked pieces, but I won't burden you with that description. ;-)

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To serve, have a platter of lettuce leaves on the table along with a dish of rice and the platter of meat. People assemble their own food. We find it works best to have the meat on top of the rice, to help hold everything together.

Enjoy!

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*My poor, deprived children are also not allowed to eat dough or batter containing raw eggs. Such a mean mommy!

Gyros

Gyros--YUM! Over the years, I've tried home cooked versions, and while the bread and condiments hit the right buttons, the meat was never even close.

Enter Cook's Illustrated. Two summers ago the magazine showcased gyros made with seasoned ground meat cooked in patties. These are fantastic! The recipe is a bit of a production (no surprise for CI fans), but worth it when the craving must be satisfied. Besides, I usually prepare a triple batch so there are two meals waiting in the freezer.

Here is the ground beef (instead of lamb) variation (adapted slightly) from the July/August 2007 issue:

Homemade Gyros
puffy pocketless pita bread, 1 1/2 cups torn pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tsp dried oregano
6 cloves garlic, pressed
2 pounds ground beef, (I use 93/7 fat)
2-3 Tbsp oil (less if you use fattier beef)

For serving:
more pita
chopped cucumber
chopped sweet onion
chopped tomato
plain yogurt (preferably not non-fat)

Process pita pieces, onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic in food processor until smooth paste forms, about 30 seconds.
Transfer onion mixture to large bowl; add beef and gently mix with hands until thoroughly combined. Form meat mixture into small patties.
This is when I bag up the extra meat mixture for the freezer.
Cook patties in a frying pan, on the griddle, under the broiler, or (my preference) on the grill.
Warm pitas individually in the microwave or by wrapping a stack in foil and heating in the oven. Serve with condiments: cucumber, onion, tomato, and yogurt. I also like an extra sprinkle of salt on the meat.

I was in a hurry this weekend and ended up cooking a bagful of meat all together in a skillet, taco meat style. The kids thought it was great!

The patties can be chewy if the meat is overmixed, plus they can be tricky to divide among the pitas. The ground mixture was easier to serve and eat, and was certainly easier to prepare. I don't know if I'll ever make patties again!

Taco Soup

A friend shared this simple, quick recipe with me.

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 package taco seasoning mix (I use reduced sodium)
Brown meat. Add onion and mixes and cook.

1 can (15 ounce) dark red kidney beans
1 can (15 ounce) pinto beans
1 can (15 ounce) hominy
1 small can chopped green chiles, optional
3 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) stewed or petite diced tomatoes
3-4 cups water
Do NOT drain the cans. Add to meat mixture. Cook about 30 minutes, until soup is hot and flavors are blended.

This is great served with chili condiments: sour cream, fritos, grated cheese, and sweet or green onions. If you want it thicker (or want it to fit in your crockpot), just don't add as much water.

This recipe is easy to increase. It freezes fine, but it's so easy that I don't see the point in taking up the freezer space. Maybe making and freezing extra meat mixture would give you a head start. With that in the freezer and cans in the cupboard, you'll always have an emergency dinner ready.

Beef Barley Soup

Don't you feel cozier just looking at that bowl? :-)

Beef Barley Soup

2 pounds beef cubes (from a roast; chuck roast requires trimming but is flavorful)
onion, chopped, to taste (about 2 large)
5-8 cups broth or water (I use the Swanson boxes of reduced sodium beef broth)

extra broth may be needed
2/3 cup barley (it really expands!)
fresh mushrooms, sliced, optional
sliced or baby carrots

I made this recipe up, and there are several ways to cook it. You can just throw everything but the carrots in a crockpot, then steam the carrots and add at serving time.

The flavor is better if the meat and onion are browned first. Saute the beef in oil, in small batches so it can stick a bit and brown instead of steaming in its juices. Next cook the onions, scraping up the meaty bits in the pan (add a bit of broth if needed). Then put everything but the carrots in the crockpot, or simmer on top of the stove. If you have a Dutch oven, you can even simmer in the oven (about 300 degrees).

In any case, simmer somehow until the barley is cooked and the beef is tender, at least an hour and a half. If you use a crockpot, steam the carrots and add at serving time. If you're simmering on the stove, add the carrots after the beef and barley are done, and cook just until the carrots are ready.

This recipe is easy to double or triple (but that's A LOT of soup), and it freezes well without the carrots. I sometimes make a big batch with the smallest amount of broth, and freeze it in a smaller portion than we will eat. Later I thaw it and add the carrots and more broth. The long cooking is done, and it takes up less space.