If you read this
blog with any regularity, you know that I am a big fan of meatloaf. Sometimes life’s simple pleasures are indeed the
best, such is the case with meatloaf. This
wasn’t always my belief, however.
Growing up, I was subjected, as were all kids my age, to the meatloaf
topped with tomato paste and baked in the oven for a lengthy, drying
period. I never could abide tomato anything as a youngster, and didn’t eat
pizza until I was in college, so this accepted late '60s version I found to be particularly vile. Once I
moved out on my own I realized that there was more, oh, so much more, to
meatloaf than ground beef and tomato paste.
Now I’m on a mission to try as many different varieties as possible, to
find the very best. What I have found is that I pretty much like
them all. So, continuing on my quest to
cook my way through Ina’s latest cookbook Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, I gave the recipe
for “1770 House Meatloaf” a try. From the East Hampton restaurant of the same
name, and the creation of executive chef, Kevin Penner, I think I’ve found yet
another favorite. I served it alongside
a steaming pile of “champ” that I learned about
recently from Mary on her Home is Where the Boat Is blog (if you don’t read
this one, start. NOW!).
1770 House Meatloaf
A recipe by Kevin Penner from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof
Meatloaf:
2 tablespoons good
olive oil
2 cups chopped
Spanish onion (1 large)
1-1/2 cups small-diced
celery (2 stalks)
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon chopped
fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped
fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped
fresh chives
3 extra-large eggs,
lightly beaten
2/3 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons kosher
salt
1 tablespoon freshly
ground black pepper
2-1/2 cups panko
crumbs
Preheat the oven to
350 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil
in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 to 7
minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not browned.
Set aside to cool slightly.
Place the beef,
veal, pork, parsley, thyme, chives, eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a large
mixing bowl.
Put the panko in a
food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the panko is
finely ground.
Add the onion
mixture and the panko to the meat mixture. With clean hands, gently toss the
mixture together, making sure it’s combined but not compacted.
Place a piece of
parchment paper on a sheet pan. Pat the
meat into a flat rectangle and then press the sides in until it forms a
cylinder down the middle of the pan (this will ensure no air pockets). Bake for
40-50 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 155 to 160
degrees F. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot with Garlic Sauce.
Garlic Sauce:
3/4 cup good olive
oil
10 garlic cloves,
peeled
2 cups chicken
stock, preferably homemade
3 tablespoons
unsalted butter, at room temperature
Kosher salt and
freshly ground black pepper
Combine the oil and
garlic in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter. Remove the garlic from
the oil and set oil aside.
Combine the chicken
stock, butter, and cooked garlic in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook at a full boil for 35
to 40 minutes, until slightly thickened. Mash the garlic with a fork, whisk in ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper,
and then taste and for seasonings. Spoon
the warm sauce over the meatloaf.
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