Meatloaf. Say that in a group and some will make gagging noises, like 'errgh' and turn some shade of green. Some will say, with lightened expression and a joyful gaze, 'oh! I love meatloaf, how do you make yours?'
Until a few years ago I was decidedly with the 'gag-alicious' group. I did not like meatloaf. Mostly because I hate ketchup (yeah, I know, heresy, but where are you on mustard?). Even when I was a kid I hated ketchup. Wouldn't eat it and since my mom always made her meatloaf with ketchup, bleah.
I don't know what changed. Whether it's simply the distance of time and faded memory, or if I've just grown up. In either case I decided a couple of months ago to try to make a meatloaf. Since we have a ton of ground beef hanging out in the freezer (long story, but trust me) and I was worrying that it would spoil before we got around to using it, I decided to try.
This morning, even though it looks a lot like a dog's breakfast, I made one from a kind of a made-up/follow-along recipe.
Some of the recipes I found online said 'use one egg', others said 'two'. I used two. After all, that was what was in the fridge and what am I going to do with one egg after its brother is gone?
Most recipes said breadcrumbs. I don't have breadcrumbs. Some said use oatmeal. That I have, so I used it, along with a good couple of shakes of flax. I love flax, in reasonable quantity.
Most didn't talk about seasonings, at all, and that just seemed wrong. So I added minced garlic, black pepper, oregano (lots), and splashed over the combination some balsamic vinegar since some of the recipes called for vinegar. They call for more than I used, so we'll see.
I used tomato paste instead of sauce and thinned it with water. I like the robust flavor of paste, so we'll see how that goes. Too much? Too 'ketchupy'? I guess I'll find out.
Chopped onion, not minced. I like my onion, so chopped is good.
I also made some amazing sauteed bell peppers (2 of 'em, julienned) and mushrooms (1 pound, sliced) last night. I mean seriously amazing - sauteed in butter until cooked, splashed with white pepper and balsamic vinegar, cooked a little longer to take the edge off the vinegar and pepper. Having a bunch of that left over I chopped some of those and put them in, too.
The good news is that nothing in there is going to kill me, in and of itself. Will the combination? Probably not, so I won't worry. Worst case is that I'll have to hold my nose and suffer for a week. I just hope it's not dry. If it's dry I guess there's always Grey Poupon or mayonnaise.
Okay. I admit it. I have all the self-control of a three-year old. I couldn't wait for lunch so had some.
It's not bad. It's not great, but it's not bad.
A bit too wet, but that might be because I didn't measure the oatmeal. I just dumped what I had in the bag (it looked like a cup!). I could have added more flax to supplement (that stuff is so innocuous and is so good for you, if you don't already know).
Based on how it came out, I will try again. Next time, though, I'll plan ahead and get some bread crumbs. I'll add more flax - instead of shaking I'll measure and add 1/4 C. Since it's a bit on the bland side, I think I'll pop it and add either a can of diced jalapeno peppers (and add the juice instead of water) or a hefty dose of Vietnamese Garlic Paste (it's garlic mashed with red chilies - very hot and totally yummy). Maybe I'll do both.
I might even break down and add salt. Since most of the stuff I added has salt, including the paste which has a lot of salt, I don't add salt (it's like a religion with me - No Salt!). After the first bite, knowing it needed something, I salted it and it was a little better. Salty, but that was because it hadn't dissolved as it would during cooking.
For me, the exciting bit is that I did it. I overcame my Fear of Meatloaf, took it on and... kinda sorta conquered. Yay me!
Best~
Philippa
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