I must tell you, up front, that I am not your
typical food connoisseur. While I can
appreciate all of the nouvelle cuisine "Light
and Healthy" stuff, and yes, Poached Dover
Sole in a Lemon/Basil & White Wine Sauce,
served over Angel Hair Pasta does sound
appealing at times, just give me a really good
piece of meatloaf, some homemade mashed potatoes, and
yes (the Cholesterol God will really crawl back on the cross
at this thought) a side dish of creamed corn and I am one
happy fella. I am so happy, in fact, that I have devoted a
major portion of my culinary life in search of "The Perfect
Meatloaf!"
You are probably thinking that I really should get a new life
if one of my passions is searching for the ultimate meatloaf.
But let me explain: Meatloaf is, by all terms, a "comfort
food." Now, no one likes comfort more than myself. When I
am served a hot plate of meatloaf, my thoughts go back to
my childhood, when my parents were both still alive, sitting
around the family table, talking about all of the things you
talk about around the family dinner table, and staring down
at my old friend - meatloaf - steaming back up at me, the
aroma of meat and onions and whatever else hitting me
square in the nostrils, nestled beside a heaping pile of
mashed potatoes and whatever canned vegetable Mom
pulled out of the pantry - sometimes peas, or green beans -
either one an acceptable substitute for the favored
creamed corn. We didn't worry about eating red meat. We
didn't worry about the cholesterol count. We didn't think
about the additives and chemicals in the vegetables - we
didn't even apologize for the can they came in. We just had
a normal meal like a normal family.
Well, Mom & Dad are dead. The mashed potatoes MUST be
laden with garlic and use chicken stock to replace the
butter and milk. The "meat" part of the loaf has been
replaced with free-range turkey, and the vegetables are
fresh-picked from my private
organically-correct/pesticide-free garden (next to the
home-grown herbs).
How I long for the Good old days!
"The Perfect Meatloaf," or TPM for short, is a crafty,
chameleon-esque kind of food. Unlike it's partner,
hamburger, which can be listed on a menu under such
surnames as "Chopped Sirloin," "Ground Round," or my
favorite "Bifteck Hachè," it is still basically hamburger with a
higher or lower fat content. Meatloaf, on the other hand, is
meatloaf. Plain and Simple. Hamburger or Ground Round - it
is still meatloaf! Or is it? As I said, meatloaf is an elusive
creature - the menu always reads "meatloaf" but that has
absolutely no relevance to what you are going to be served.
It's what's INSIDE the meatloaf that separates the men
from the boys, so to speak. Hamburger, veal, pork, ground
round, turkey - you name it and it can be in the meatloaf.
Every imaginable type of bread, from plain old white to torn
up French baguettes can go into it. You can stuff it with
hard boiled eggs. You can add onions, celery, green
peppers, red peppers, garlic and - yes (in homage to our
Nouvell Cuisine friends) even cilantro. Mix it all together,
throw it in a pan and bake it for an hour. Take it out, slice it
and serve it. Voila: Meatloaf! - but what about the ultimate
or as we say, TPM?
What TPM IS Not
Let's start out with what TPM is not. It is not just
hamburger, onions, some sort of bread or cracker
concoction and eggs. I can tell you this from a first -hand
perspective - that is what my mother made. Fortunately,
we ate out a lot. Also, do NOT include in your search for
TPM any "coffee shop" or "family" restaurant varieties of
meatloaf. Many times this is a meatloaf purchased from a
food purveyor that is no more homemade than Chef Boy Ar
Dee. This quasi-meatloaf comes in tubes and is often grilled
and covered with some canned gravy mixture. This should
not even be considered in the running for TPM.
A good rule of thumb in checking out meatloaf is the gravy.
From the traditional brown, to the more Southern cream,
the proper topping has a big impact on your meatloaf. I
personally go for the more traditional tomato sauce or
ketchup lovingly poured on top of the baking loaf and let to
cook with the meat for the last 20 minutes or so of cooking
time. A favorite variation of this is to add brown sugar to
the tomato/ketchup topping and let bake in for the last few
minutes of cooking. Excellent. If you must go for the gravy,
I would suggest the cream variety for two reasons: first it
puts your loaf a step above the traditional restaurant fare
and also just seems to taste better than the brown. On my
TPM scorecard, however, I only give points for the
baked-on toppings. Gravies tend to lend themselves to
leftovers and the ever appealing meatloaf sandwich.
The Mixture
I think the most important thing to look for in the meat loaf
itself is the mixture of the meat. A good ratio of veal and
pork to beef is essential to keep the meat as moist as
possible. A local LA restaurant chain, Du Pars, has a lovely
"Danish" meatloaf that tends to lean on the veal side and
the flavor is quite different and appealing to the palate.
Many chefs tend to go back to the old standby: 1:1:1. That
is, one part beef to one part pork to one part veal.
Experimentation is certainly encouraged in contenders for
TPM. Ideally I look for a moist meat that has a good texture
- not just everything ground up like a sausage or something,
I want to feel and taste the textures of the different meats
and ingredients as they meld their way into TPM.
As for the binding ingredient(s) I have tried everything from
oatmeal to crackers to bread crumbs. I don't like crackers in
TPM. Period. I like bread crumbs if you are making "TPM
Itialianne" with a tomato/basil/parsley topping. Perhaps a
little Romano or Parmigianna? Oatmeal is a good "hidden"
binder and usually is a good choice. Bread chunks are
acceptable if you making a "Meatloaf Melange," where I add
such things as olives, pimentos, peppers, celery, cilantro,
shallots, capers, carrots, and other vegetables.
To Egg, Or Not To Egg?
This brings up another major question: to egg or not to
egg? By egg, I don't mean the raw eggs always used to help
bind the mixture. I mean the insertion of hard-boiled eggs in
the middle. I suppose fifty years ago it was considered a
culinary surprise, but these days I find it quite tired. Also, I
am not a particular fan of hard-boiled eggs in meat. Not to
mention that if you have a good meat mixture already, why
waste space with a tired old egg. On my scorecard, TPM
with eggs gets a big zero.
A Fork In The Culinary Road
Well, we have concocted the Perfect Meatloaf mixture. We
have ground, bound, seasoned, chopped, minced, and
mixed. Time to mold and bake. We have reached another
"fork" in the culinary road. Shall we go the traditional
bread-shaped loaf or shall we go exotic and make a
veritable work of art? Or do we want to go mini-loaves of
meatloaf? A personal choice depending on the situation.
One word of caution to our Meatloaf Monets: when planning
a special "piece" of meatloaf, adjust your cooking times and
temperatures to the size of your masterpiece. Thickness
counts. So does height and overall weight. Nothing is more
uncool than an undercooked meatloaf or, dare we think,
Meatloaf Tartare!! Many chefs also recommend that you
wrap the outside bottom of your loaf with bacon to help
insure it doesn't stick to the pan. Another personal option,
although TPM should be moist enough and have enough
residual fat drippings in the pan that I donÕt feel the bacon
is necessary.
For the bold, why not try Teriyaki Meatloaf, or Cajun
Meatloaf, or Meatloaf Francaise (with a light Dijon, white
wine, and cream sauce) BBQ Meatloaf, or even Meatloaf
Cordon Bleu (stuff ham and cheese wedges inside and
bake.) The possibilities are endless.
As for this old trailblazer, my quest for the ultimate meatloaf
continues. Oh, I have come close many times, but there
always is that glimmer of hope that somewhere out there,
proudly perched aside a mound of mashed potatoes and,
yes, creamed corn, is a hot, steamy, moist, rich, thick piece
of the Perfect Meatloaf. Good eating.
Recipes
While we don't claim that they are the elusive "Perfect
Meatloaf," here are a few of recipes to get you started on
your search.
Turkey/Pork Meatloaf
Beef/Pork Meatloaf
Lasagna Meatloaf
Reuben Stuffed Meatloaf
Santa Fe Meatloaf
Carrot Zucchini Mushrrom Loaf (Vegetarian)
Meatloaf Madness Recipe Contest Winners
Our meatloaf Madness recipe contest was a huge success.
We collected nearly 500 Meatloaf Recipes, and that's a lot
of meatloaf! As you can imagine, choosing the winners was
a very difficult task.
After many arguments and deliberations, our judges and
tasting panels have finally come up with the winners.
In the traditional category:
1st Prize -- Karen's Tasty Meatloaf -- Karen
Shaffer - Ketchikan Alaska
2nd Prize -- Carmel's Kickin' Meatloaf -
Carmel Richards, Austin, Texas
3rd Prize -- Steve's Glazed Meatloaf --
Steve Yates, Monticello, Mississippi
In the Creative Category:
1st Prize -- Spinach, Sun Dried Tomato & Gorgonzola
Meatloaf -- Barbara Campbell, Greenwich, Connecticut
2nd Prize -- Ron's Meatless Meatloaf -- Ronald Regen,
Rockaway NJ
3rd Prize -- Extreme Meatloaf -- The "Extreme" Goldman
Family of Kansas City, Missouri
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