RCP Yummy Meat Loaf

[Alan Uchrinscko]

I grew up hating meat loaf because my mother used to cook the hell out of it and dry it out until it tasted like cardboard. I've been using a Paula Dean recipe with an adjustment (I substitute bread crumbs where she used oats) and it is moist and delicious.

I used her topping once, and the other time just made my own tomato sauce. It was delicious either way, though obviously a bit more tangy with her recipe.

1 pound ground beef
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
I use 1 cup Bread Crumbs Here (recipe calls for 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats)

Topping:
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Give it a try. I highly recommend it.


Edited by Jenise to add "RC:" to title

[Dale Williams]

Alan,
how long /how hot do you cook it?

You know, this really doesn't match with Chablis.

[Alan Uchrinscko]

Oh yeah. 375 for 45. Form it, put it into a backing dish and cook it. I've found that it's quite moist, so I have strained out the juices about midway through cooking.

I've tried it twice and it's been great both times. Shocked the hell out of my mother and my sister who are used to her recipe.

And yes, it does go with Chablis. Everything goes with high acid white wines. Chablis works with leg of lamb. Bordeaux does not work with oysters on a half shell. Therefore, Chablis = the best wine in the world.

QED.

[Jenise]

Alan, that looks like it would end up tasting just like my mother's meat loaf--she died when I was young so I never knew quite what went into it, but I can taste it in my mind when I read your recipe. Not spicy, just juicy with that fresh-from-the-garden taste. Her birthday's coming up, I think I'll make it in commemoration. Thanks!

[Alan Uchrinscko]

Don't know how it'll compare to your families recipe as you remember it, but I do hope you'll try it. I always avoided meatloaf until I had this one. It's really moist and it's SOOOOOO easy...

[Cynthia Wenslow]

This sounds good. I love meatloaf. Thanks for posting the recipe. Maybe I'll do this tomorrow.

Have you tried the Confederate House meatloaf?

[Paul Winalski]

Yep, that's very much like my mom used to make, except she didn't add the bell pepper. That looks like a mighty fine addition.

Thanks for posting this.

-Paul W.

[Dale Williams]

Well, Alan, I tried this. And it SUCKED with my Raveneau Le Clos!

Ok, confession:
1)I don't own, and have never owned, any Raveneau GC. I'm poor.
2) It was delicious with a '99 NSG from a producer I've never heard of (Chauvenet, pretty good actually).

My variations - I had about 1.3 lbs of ground veal that needed to be used, used that. Used panko. Used the rest of a can of diced tomatoes with a lot of mustard and a tiny amount of brown sugar to make a variation on the original sauce (poured over loaf for last 10 minutes of baking). Very good recipe, thanks.

[Alan Uchrinscko]

Glad you liked the recipe.

By the way, Chauvenet's wines are quite nice - a bit under the radar in the NYC area because it's from Neil Rosenthal and his wines aren't as widely distributed as some others. I had the '83 NSG Vaucrains a couple of years ago and it was very good - and '83 red Burgs are tricky...That's when I became a fan and have enjoyed them ever since...

[Bob Ross]

Thanks for mentioning the oats, Alan. I'll try it -- although we've loved Jenise's riff on Batali's dad's version so much.

But oats -- who can resist an oat recipe?

Regards and thanks, Bob