“New York Minute” Meatloaf

Adapted by #FullPlateByJay from recipe found on the “Stove Top” box!  Prepared for Stephen Cirona and partner Mitchell in New York City on April 26, 2015; prepared for Julie, Todd, and Nick Pohjola in Sturtevant, WI on May 25, 2015; prepared for George Yarborough in Portland, OR in October, 2015 — and dozens of additional times ever since (since this is my “go to” meatloaf recipe).

If you like meatloaf, and if you’re not afraid to put a box of stuffing mix into your grocery cart, TRY this recipe. 

It’s really moist, has a great texture, and is simply delicious.  It’s so tasty, that it’s become my “go to” recipe whenever I’m craving meatloaf.  Great with baked or mashed potatoes, and any roasted veggies.  Serves six-to-eight people.

Meatloaf with oven-roasted broccoli and mashed potatoes; prepared for my former next-door neighbor, George Yarborough, in Portland, OR on Oct. 26, 2015

Ingredients

1 lb. very-lean ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

1 package (6 oz.) chicken-flavored stuffing mix (like Stove-Top)

1 small onion, chopped into large chunks

1 - 2 ribs of celery, chopped into large chunks

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into large chunks

½ cup milk

½ cup chicken stock

2 eggs, beaten

¾ cup spaghetti sauce (divided into 1/2 cup and 1/4 cup )

2 T. dry red wine (divided)

2 tsp. Mrs. Dash (divided)

Instructions / Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat 13 x 9 baking dish with non-stick spray; or line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

While still in the package, bash and mash the stuffing mix to break up the large cubes into smaller bits.  Then pour into large bowl.

In blender or food processor, add onion, celery, carrot, liquids, eggs, and 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1 T. red wine, and 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash.  Pulse until the onions, carrots, and celery are reduced to small, uniformly sized chunky bits.  Pour this liquid mixture over the stuffing mixture in the bowl.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Using your clean hands, mix the meats into the soaked crumb-vegetable mix until well-combined and uniformly incorporated.

NOTE: If you’re squeamish about mixing this with your hands, try putting all the ingredients into a gallon-sized ZipLock bag.  Remove excess air, seal, and then squeeze until all the ingredients are uniformly mixed. 

Dump the mixture onto the prepared pan, and shape into a loaf.  

Mix 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1 T. red wine, and 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash and spoon-spread it over the top of the meatloaf.

Place loaf in oven and bake for 60 minutes, until done (internal temperature of 160 degrees).  Allow to rest for 5 - 8 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

595 calories; 29 grams fat (11 grams saturated; 0 grams trans fats); 209 milligrams cholesterol; 42 grams carbohydrate; 3 grams fiber; 9 grams sugar; 391 grams protein; 969 milligrams sodium.

Savory Sunday Chuck Roast

Adapted from recipe found in my friend Karen Szabo’s mother—Lorene Gibson’s—recipe box in Tulsa, OK  from a recipe by Mrs. Jack Morris of Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

My upper-midwest childhood was filled with Sunday roasts that would get popped into the oven when we got home from church, and which would fill the house with wonderful smells while the Green Bay Packers were playing on the television. 

This is kinda like those roasts… but way, WAY BETTER (sorry mom!!).  Definitely company worthy. And, if you have leftovers, count yourself lucky! Makes 8 servings.

Fall-apart, moist, tender, and delicious beef roast, accompanied by the oven-roasted vegetables (potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms) that have been cloaked in the wonderful onion-mushroom gravy.

The roast getting about five minutes of medium-high searing to create a beautiful brown exterior crust that enriches the gravy and keeps the meat moist. (I love using my great-aunt Dorothy’s ancient MagnaLite roaster!)

Ingredients

3 - 4 pound chuck roast or blade roast

½  tsp. seasoning salt

½  tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 T. olive oil

- - -

1 package “beefy onion” soup mix

1 (14.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

½ cup water

½ cup dry sherry

1 T. soy sauce

2 T. flat-leaf parsley, minced

1 tsp. Mrs. Dash

½ tsp. poultry seasoning

½  tsp. Italian seasoning

After 75 minutes of roasting, the prepared veggies get piled on top of the meat and gravy, to cook for another hour… and lend their aromatic flavors to the gravy.

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp. white pepper

- - -

4 medium red potatoes, quartered

1 large yellow onion, cut into 12 vertical wedges

3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks

3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 (8 oz.) package of crimini musrooms, quartered

Instructions / Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim excess fat from roast. Pat dry. Sprinkle meat with seasoning salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meat on all sides in the oil.

While meat is browning, mix onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup  with the sherry and water. Stir in the remainder of ingredients.  Once the meat is browned, pour mixture over the roast.

Place into oven, covered for 75 minutes; at that point, add carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, and potatoes to the Dutch oven to surround. the meat. Return to oven, covered, for another hour — 30 minutes with the cover, and 30 minutes uncoverd to let the veggies roast — until the meat is fork tender, and the veggies are soft.

The result… fall-apart-tender meat that is moist and succulent.

Remove roast and vegetables to a heated serving platter, and tent with foil. Skim as much fat from the cooking liquid as possible. Over medium heat, whisk the gravy and — if needed — add 1/4 cup of sherry or vermouth. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes until the gravy thickens to the desired consistency.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (as needed). 

The roasted veggies on a heated pewter platter, just waiting to be joined by serving-sized chunks of the roast.

Pour gravy into sauceboat; serve immediately with the roast, accompanied by the pan-roasted vegetables.