Post by amarante on Nov 2, 2016 9:23:43 GMT -5
FANCY MEAT LOAF
with Bacon and Mushrooms
Excerpt From: Thielen, Amy. “The New Midwestern Table
SERVES 6 TO 8
With its whole pistachios and savory bits of herb and mushroom, what you have here is fancier than basic meat loaf yet more rustic (and easier to make) than a French pâté. An honorable, decadent thing when hot, it also tastes divine cold.
My meat loaves started tilting in an upscale direction once I discovered how much I enjoy a cold meat loaf sandwich the next day, whether open-face or between slices of soft white bread spread with a smear of Dijon or a dollop of chutney. And to tell the truth, part of the lure of cold meat loaf is the way the cool slices look: shiny on the surface, smooth, the fat and meat mottled together into an old-fashioned terrazzo pattern.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 large sweet onion, cut into small dice (2 cups)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3½ ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons dry sherry or dry white wine
½ cup whole milk
2 cups coarsely ground fresh bread crumbs (from about 4 slices country bread)
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 pound ground pork
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 large eggs
½ cup shelled salted pistachios
10 slices bacon
2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, butter, and onion, season with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is soft and light brown, about 10 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and garlic to the skillet and sauté until the mushroom juice exudes and then evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and simmer for 1 minute to reduce slightly. Pour the mushroom mixture onto a wide plate to cool slightly.
In a bowl, add the milk to the bread crumbs and fluff with a fork.
In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, nutmeg, allspice, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, pistachios, mushroom mixture, bread crumbs (including any milk left in the bowl), 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix quickly but thoroughly with your hands.
Transfer the mixture into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish, and form it into a squared-off log, 6 inches wide and 12 inches long, down the center of the length of the pan. Lay the bacon slices across the meat loaf, slightly overlapping. Rub the bacon with the brown sugar.
Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 160°F, 50 to 55 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes before cutting the loaf into thick slices and serving.”
with Bacon and Mushrooms
Excerpt From: Thielen, Amy. “The New Midwestern Table
SERVES 6 TO 8
With its whole pistachios and savory bits of herb and mushroom, what you have here is fancier than basic meat loaf yet more rustic (and easier to make) than a French pâté. An honorable, decadent thing when hot, it also tastes divine cold.
My meat loaves started tilting in an upscale direction once I discovered how much I enjoy a cold meat loaf sandwich the next day, whether open-face or between slices of soft white bread spread with a smear of Dijon or a dollop of chutney. And to tell the truth, part of the lure of cold meat loaf is the way the cool slices look: shiny on the surface, smooth, the fat and meat mottled together into an old-fashioned terrazzo pattern.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 large sweet onion, cut into small dice (2 cups)
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3½ ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons dry sherry or dry white wine
½ cup whole milk
2 cups coarsely ground fresh bread crumbs (from about 4 slices country bread)
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 pound ground pork
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 large eggs
½ cup shelled salted pistachios
10 slices bacon
2 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, butter, and onion, season with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is soft and light brown, about 10 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and garlic to the skillet and sauté until the mushroom juice exudes and then evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add the sherry and simmer for 1 minute to reduce slightly. Pour the mushroom mixture onto a wide plate to cool slightly.
In a bowl, add the milk to the bread crumbs and fluff with a fork.
In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, nutmeg, allspice, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, eggs, pistachios, mushroom mixture, bread crumbs (including any milk left in the bowl), 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Mix quickly but thoroughly with your hands.
Transfer the mixture into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish, and form it into a squared-off log, 6 inches wide and 12 inches long, down the center of the length of the pan. Lay the bacon slices across the meat loaf, slightly overlapping. Rub the bacon with the brown sugar.
Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 160°F, 50 to 55 minutes. Rest for 5 minutes before cutting the loaf into thick slices and serving.”