Sunday, February 04, 2007

Peter's Super Bowl Meatloaf

Peter's been talking for weeks about how he wanted to make a meatloaf. As far as home cooked comfort food goes, meatloaf ranks at the top of my list. My mom doesn't cook a lot, but when she does one of the dishes we all truly adore is her meatloaf. The cornflakes keep it moist and the spicy ketchup sauce on top adds just the right tangy zing. Peter's version was a little bit different, but pretty darned delicious all the same. It calls for a mix of ground beef, pork and veal, but our local grocery store didn't carry veal so we doubled the amount of pork. One of the best parts about meatloaf is eating the leftovers over the next couple of days, whether reheated or sliced cold and placed between two slices of bread slathered with mayo (I forced Peter to use the light stuff, of course). Peter prefers his on rye bread and topped with red pepper jelly. This made for a darned delicious meal in front of the fire, accompanied by nice cold beers while watching the Super Bowl (even if the Bears did lose).

Peter's Meatloaf (adapted from the New York Cookbook by Molly O'Neill)

Ingredients:
1 cup celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 Tb butter
2 pounds ground sirloin
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
pinch of dried thyme
pinch of dried marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1 Tb Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups Heinz chili sauce
3 slices bacon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil 2 loaf pans.
2. In a heavy skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and celery in butter until soft. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
3. Add the meats, parsley, sour cream, bread crumbs, herbs and seasonings to the pan. Whisk the egg and Worcestershire sauce and add to the mixture. Combine the mixture, using a spoon or your hands.
4. Divide loaf into pans. Top with chili sauce and layer top with bacon slices. Bake until cooked through and browned, about 1 hour.

Serves 6 to 8 people.

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