Meatloaf the ultimate comfort food
Ahh… Meatloaf, in my humble opinion just about the ultimate comfort food. So simple to make and so delicious and leftovers make a truly wonderful sandwich. This is my take on my Mom’s meatloaf, it was always tender and juicy and so delicious. I used ground pork and beef, freshly ground bread crumbs, vegetables (carrot, celery, onion and parsley) ground in the food processor and sauteed green pepper and mushrooms. I also add worcestershire sauce, heavy cream, and eggs. How easy is it to mix it up, plop it in the pan, shape and bake. No muss no fuss. I had to top it with ketchup, I am a huge fan of the stuff, you can make home made ketchup but I used plain old Heinz. I love serving this with creamy mashed potatoes and a vegetable side, and I am flooded with memories every time I take a bite. Gotta love meatloaf!!
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef (85%)
- 1 large stalk celery
- 1 small onion or 1/2 medium
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley with the tender part of the stems
- 1 small size carrot peeled
- 1 small ripe tomato pureed in blender
- 1 pepper I used cubanelle but a small green pepper is fine chopped into small pieces
- 6 white stuffer mushrooms gently cleaned and chopped into small pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (OPTIONAL)
- 1 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- ketchup to glaze
- Break up bread and pulse in processor until they are crumbs, set aside. Add celery, onion, carrot and parsley to processor and pulse until ground (not pulverized), set aside. Chop green peppers and mushrooms, place small saute pan on med high heat, add a little olive oil, first put the peppers in and saute until they begin to soften, add the mushrooms and saute both until they are softened and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Chop a ripe tomato into chunks and puree in the blender.
- In large mixing bowl add the meat, ground vegetables, sauteed green peppers and mushrooms, tomato puree, worcestershire, eggs, cream, bread crumbs and salt and pepper. NOTE: to test for seasoning I microwave a spoonful to make sure that it is seasoned correctly. Mix well. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees
- Lightly oil a baking pan, plop the meatloaf into the pan and shape into loaf. Pour some ketchup on top and spread on the loaf Bake for 60-70 minutes until done. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
apuginthekitchen 