Mushroom Meatloaf

Halfway through the week and I've been one busy bee.  Trying to get last minute school-work done, finishing up errands to do before we leave for our Florida trip tomorrow, and getting the dogs situated with some dog sitters (thanks Kendra and Ike!).  I just know that I'm going to forget something!  But I know it will be a great time to be with family and our new family in celebrating my brother's wedding!  Will definitely post pictures next week!

And just a reminder, just about a day and a half left to vote for Challenge #3 in Project Food Blog!  I'd be extremely thankful if you took a minute out of your day to do so!  I didn't get this far without you guys, and of course, you guys are awesome!

I don't know about you, but the more fall-like it gets outside, the more I crave some really great comfort food.  Meatloaf, being one of those grand comforts.  I found this really great mushroom version that was an instant hit, and if I didn't already know that I used mushrooms, and despite there being some beef added in, I would never have thought that the majority of the loaf consisted of mushrooms!  So it's definitely a way to "sneak" some good mushrooms into a meal!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Rocco Dispirito's Now Eat This! - Meatloaf w/ Portobello Mushrooms

8 oz. baby portobello mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
2 eggs
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 lb. ground beef
small handful parsley, chopped
1/2 cup panko breakcrumbs
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

Add mushrooms to a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped.  Scrape into medium bowl.  Add garlic cloves to processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Add eggs and 1 tablespoon of ketchup to the garlic and puree until smooth.  Add garlic/ketchup mixture to mushrooms and mix well.

Add in beef, parsley, and panko bread crumbs to mushroom mixture, as well.  Using your hands, mix well until everything is well combined.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Form the meat/mushroom mixture into a log and place onto prepared baking sheet.  Brush remaining ketchup on top of loaf.  Bake until meatloaf is cooked through, about 25-30 minutes. 

Allow the loaf to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.

We served this with some roasted sweet potatoes and simple gravy.  It was absolutely delicious and a great way to welcome comfort food back into our lives!  Enjoy guys!

(I'll edit the post with our CSA goods later on today after we've picked them up!)

The Mother Loaf

Alright, so I've got to vent and so vent I shall. I hate Physics. I know my very existence is based on physics, but I hate it. I think it's pointless to know how one gets from point A to point B and how fast it takes me to get there. I don't care how heavy something is if it's on an incline. And I really hate right triangles right now. With that being said, I want to personally thank Physics and the fact that it almost completely ruined my Sunday evening. The only savior was some good comfort food... in the form of a loaf of meat. I give you - the Motherloaf. I know, stupid name... but oh was it delicious...


Ingredients:
Adapted from Bon Appetit Oct 2009 Issue -"Turkey Meatloaf w/ Mushrooms & Herbs"

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups bread crustless bread squares (I used half french baquette and half wheat sandwich bread)
1 cup chicken broth
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup shallots, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tablespoon thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt
steak seasoning mix (you can make your own, or store brand, mine is equal parts red pepper flakes, season salt, and chili powder)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 lb. ground chuck beef

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

Toss bread squares in chicken broth and let soak for about 10 minutes.

Add in everything else but the meat. Mix up real good.

Add in the meat and blend well. Mold into pan and bake for about an hour and 25 minutes. Let rest for about 15 minutes.

Slice and serve.

Now seriously, how easy is that! I love meatloaf. And this is no exception. I made a quick and easy gravy also by mixing some of the pan juices with some beef stock and reducing down. Add a little cornstarch and the mixture should thicken a bit if you like it that way! Enjoy!

Pancetta Wrapped Meatloaf

There is nothing more satisfying than bacon. I absolutely LOVE bacon. Almost more than Andy. That says A LOT. So when I saw that Food in My Beard had this awesome recipe for this meatloaf, I knew it was going to be amazing. Besides, how can you go wrong with crispy bacon-y goodness?!?!


Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
couple bunches of parsley, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper
pretty big pinch of red pepper flakes

Meatloaf isn't rocket science, so this is pretty straight forward. Throw all the ingredients in a bowl and mix up until everything is evenly throughout the loaf. Form the meat madness into a big loaf.

Then on some parchment paper, line up pancetta rounds. I did a 5 x 3 grid. Then put loaf on top of pancetta, kind of in the middle and wrap loaf with parchment paper. Unravel parchment paper, but be careful not to unravel the pancetta. It should stick pretty well to the loaf. I didn't have enough pancetta to wrap the whole loaf, mainly just the top, but that was fine with me. Get more pancetta if you think you need it though.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake the loaf for about 45 minutes to an hour. I found that 45 minutes wasn't enough for my thick hunk of meat, so after 45 minutes, I drained the loaf of the juices, and put it back in the oven for about 15 more minutes.

It was DELICIOUS!


I also made a quick tomato sauce for on top with 1 can San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese that was also on FIMB page.

Enjoy!