Meat-Loaf with Bacon and Prunes

SERVES 6 WITH LEFTOVERS
ACTIVE TIME:30 MIN START TO FINISH:1 1/2 HR

This is the perfect antidote to the Sunday blues, not least because there will be enough left over to pack sandwiches for Monday's lunch. A mix of beef, pork, and bacon ensures meatiness, with Worcestershire sauce, chopped prunes, and cider vinegar added for good balance and occasional suggestions of sweetness. Because the loaf is baked without a loaf pan, there's plenty of well-browned crust to go around.

Ingredients

1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (from 2 slices firm white sandwich bread)
1/3 cup whole milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium celery rib, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 pound bacon (about 4 slices), chopped
1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
1/2 pound ground pork (not lean)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
GARNISH: cooked bacon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Soak bread crumbs in milk in a large bowl. Meanwhile, cook onion, garlic, celery, and carrot in butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
Cover skillet and reduce heat to low, then cook until carrot is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, allspice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.
Add to bread-crumb mixture.
Finely chop bacon and prunes in a food processor, then add to onion mixture along with beef, pork, eggs, and parsley and mix together with your hands.
Pack mixture into a 9- by 5-inch oval loaf in a 13- by 9-inch shallow baking dish or pan.
Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatloaf registers 155°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
COOKS' NOTE: Cooked meatloaf keeps, chilled, 3 days.

RECIPE BY IAN KNAUER

FEBRUARY 2008 Issue of Gourmet Magazine
PHOTOGRAPH BY QUENTIN BACON

Asian Style Meat Loaves

From Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 (3 1/2-ounce) package plain rice crackers (such as ka-me)
1 pound ground turkey breast
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup hoisin sauce, divided
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup drained chopped canned water chestnuts
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large egg whites
Cooking spray

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place crackers in a food processor; process until finely chopped.

Combine cracker crumbs, turkey, pork, green onions, 1/4 cup hoisin, and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.

Shape mixture into 6 (5 x 2 1/2-inch) loaves on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; spread 2 teaspoons hoisin over top of each meat loaf. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°. Let stand 5 minutes.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 loaf)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 288(16% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 1.8g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 29.5g; CHOLESTEROL 76mg; CALCIUM 33mg; SODIUM 651mg; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.2g

Meat Loaf

Serves 8 to 10

Use a combination of meat for perfect meatloaf: beef for flavor, veal for tenderness and easy slicing, pork for juiciness.

Ingredients

4 slices white bread, torn into pieces
1 3/4 pounds ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into eighths
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 large egg
3/4 cup ketchup
4 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse bread until fine crumbs form.
Transfer to a medium bowl; add ground beef and ground pork.
Place onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and parsley in food processor; pulse until finely chopped.
Add to beef mixture; combine using your hands.
Add egg, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, salt, and pepper; combine thoroughly, using your hands.
Place in an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup and 2 teaspoons dry mustard, and the brown sugar; stir until smooth.
Brush mixture over top of the meatloaf.
Place the pan on a baking sheet to catch drippings, and transfer to oven.
Bake until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reaches 160 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours. (If the top of the meatloaf gets too dark, cover with foil and continue baking.) Let meatloaf stand 15 minutes before slicing.

Patsy's Stuffed Meat Loaf

Cook Time:

1 hour
Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup Salsa
1/4 cup bread Crumbs
1/4 cup canned jalapeno, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 cup baby spinach- Chopped
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 1/2 lb ground turkey, 93 percent lean

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with nonfat cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, onion, and jalapeño pepper. Add mustard, oregano, sage, black pepper, and salt and mix well.
3. Place half the meat mixture in prepared pan. Make a shallow well down the length of the meat.
4. Prepare stuffing. In a medium bowl, mix together spinach, mushrooms, and cheese. Place in well.
5. Cover with remaining meat mixture; pinch sides of meat together to seal well.
6. Cook at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. If liquid from vegetables seeps out of stuffing, that`s OK, just drain it off. If desired, remove meat loaf from oven after 40 minutes and top with salsa, then continue baking for an additional 20 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Source: Courtesy of Hannaford Fresh Magazine, Jan/Feb 2008

Meat Loaf and Gravy

Provided by Campbell's Kitchen

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 egg , beaten
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1/4 cup water

Cooking Instructions
MIX thoroughly beef, bread crumbs and egg. Shape firmly into 8"x4" loaf in baking pan.

BAKE at 350°F. for 30 min. Spread 1/2 can soup over top of meat loaf. Bake 30 min. or until done.

MIX 2 tbsp. drippings, remaining soup and water in saucepan. Heat through and serve with meat loaf.