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Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 11/05/2008 09:06 PM Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 11/09/2008 11:06 PM
Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
:

"Not Your Mama’s Meatloaf" with the Much Awaited Recipe!~By Jason Wright of Alchemy Market & Cafe

Murphys, CA....When you read the word “meatloaf” in the title to this column, did the picture of a ketchup-slathered, flattened hunk of mystery meat flash before your eyes? I’m pretty certain that it did. The recipe included at the end of this article is not that meatloaf. At Alchemy, my restaurant in Murphys, we call it the “Ultimate Meatloaf.” This recipe, in numerous variations, has traveled with me to every kitchen that I have operated. I inherited the recipe when I....

Click to Visit Alchemy Market and Cafe


first became an Executive Chef at Whiskey Creek Mountain Bistro in Mammoth Lakes. At that time, it already had local legendary status. The kitchen at Whiskey Creek had been cranking out this recipe for the better part of 20 years when I discovered it. Rumor had it that the recipe originated in a famous San Francisco restaurant, but when I got to it, there was no telling how it had changed at the hands of courtless Chefs. Needless to say, being a young Chef, I had to put my mark on the recipe, also. Feeling that I had sufficiently improved upon a classic, I felt it my right to take the recipe with me when I left Mammoth. I have since introduced it to three other restaurants, always tweaking the recipe just enough to make it unique.

At its heart, meatloaf is a combination of one or more of the following meats: beef, veal, lamb, pork, and, in recent times, more exotic meats such as venison, seafood, or even tofu (oh, horror!!!). Usually, various grains, eggs, herbs, spices, and vegetables are added for flavor and to bind the loaf together. Tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, or ketchup usually forms a crust on top of the loaf during baking. Other toppings and flavorings may include bacon, mushrooms, mashed potatoes, and cheese.

Since meatloaf and meatball recipes are often interchangeable, the origins of meatloaf could be Italian, and there are certainly the roots of meatloaf in the terrines and pates of France. However, our pop-culture concept of meatloaf probably originated somewhere in the Midwest, where meatpacking plants produced plentiful byproducts and home gardens overflowed with tomatoes for tomato-based sauces. During the Great Depression, the practice of mixing grains with meat became more popular as a way of stretching meager rations. The introduction of Spam in World War II helped spur the country’s craze for molded, formed, and disguised “modern” foods. TV sitcom’s like Leave it to Beaver and the Counterculture of the 60’s somehow warped meatloaf into the quintissential suburban-middle class-Monday night-dreaded meal.

I have been asked for this recipe more than any other in my culinary career, and here I share it with you for the first time in newsprint. This recipe requires advance planning, since you must make the meatloaf one day and cool it thoroughly overnight before slicing and serving. This meatloaf uses beef and pork, cheese, bacon, and a host of herbs, vegetables, and flavorings. The recipe is a little involved (remember, this is “Not your Mama’s meatloaf recipe). Invest a little time, energy, and money, and you will be richly rewarded with a lot of really good meatloaf that you can use for entrees' and sandwiches, cut up into soup, or freeze to be ready to impress an uninvited dinner guest. Top it with whatever you like, tomato-based or not. Come on, live a little!


ALCHEMY’S ULTIMATE MEATLOAF

YIELD: One 6-7 lb. meatloaf, or about 12 large slices

2 T. minced fresh garlic
1 small yellow onion, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 1/2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 T. dry oregano leaves
2 T. ground black pepper
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 c. chopped parsley
2 1/2 lb. ground beef (80% lean)
1 1/4 lb. ground pork
4 eggs
1/4 lb. each grated white cheddar, grated Parmesan, and jack cheese
1/4 c. half and half
2 T. prepared horseradish
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
2 T. A1 sauce
2 t. Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 T. salt
about 24 slices bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, celery, carrots, oregano, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool to room temperature. Place vegetable mixture and all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using your hands (preferably with latex gloves), quickly but thoroughly mix all ingredients. Select a loaf pan that is just large enough to accommodate the mixture and spray with non-stick pan-coating spray. Cut a piece of parchment paper so that it lines the bottom of the pan and extends 1-2 inches above the sides. Spray the paper with non-stick spray. Starting at one end of the pan, place strips of bacon so that they cover the bottom of the pan and extend over the sides. Alternate sides, so that each successive slice of bacon comes up the opposite side of the pan from the previous slice. After the pan is lined with bacon, take handfulls of the meat mixture and fill the pan. Be sure not to leave any air pockets because they will turn into larger holes in your meatloaf as it bakes. Tap the pan on a sturdy counter to level the meat and smooth down the top. Fold the slices of bacon and the parchment over the top of the meatloaf and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. It is very important to cook the meatloaf on a sheet pan because the juices will spill out as it bakes. Cover the meatloaf with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil crimped tightly around the edges of the pan. Place the meatloaf in the oven and bake until a meat thermometer placed in the middle reads 150 degrees, about 1-1 1/2 hours. (Just poke the thermometer right through the plastic and foil). Remove from oven, take off the plastic and foil, and cool. Cool overnight in refrigerator. The next day, run a knife around the sides of the pan. Pick up the pan and, tilting it at a 45 degree angle, tap the ends on the counter until the whole meatloaf starts to slide from side to side. Then you can quickly invert the pan onto a cutting board and remove it. Remove the paper from the meatloaf and turn it rightside up. Remove any fat from the side of the meatloaf and slice. Finish in a frying pan, BBQ, or oven until hot and serve. At Alchemy we serve it with mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and a smoky demiglaze sauce.


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