Meat loaf - the Nourishing Traditions way

When I stopped eating meat for all those years, the one thing I missed was meatloaf. Ha! Meatloaf is a frugal favourite for a lot of people. I like it because it's a tasty, cheap meal and I can cook one meatloaf and it will do us for dinners and sandwiches for quite a few days. On the first day I always bake vegetables in the oven alongside the meatloaf, the second day I slice a few pieces off and reheat them, they are served with mashed potato, pumpkin, carrots and silverbeet. The third day it's cold meatloaf with salad.

Everyone has their own favourite recipe, and I have mine, but since I read Nourishing Traditions, I've modified my recipe slightly. Here is the Nourishing Traditions recipe:

SPICY MEAT LOAF
2 pounds (1 kilo) of ground beef or any other red meat
½ pound of ground heart (optional) - I don't add this
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped - I grate the carrot
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme - I use fresh thyme
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ cups whole grain bread crumbs - I use three slices whole grain bread
1 cup cream - I use ½ cup milk
1 egg - I add two eggs in with the milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce (optional)
4 tablespoons tomato paste - I don't add this

Saute onions, carrot and celery in butter until soft. Add chilli flakes, thyme, pepper and salt and stir around. [Take off heat and allow to cool] Meanwhile, soak bread crumbs in beaten eggs and milk.
Have a 9 inch Pyrex pan ready. Using your hands, mix meat with vegetables, soaked bread, and fish sauce. Form into a loaf and put in the pan. Spread tomato paste on top and bake in the oven on 350 F (180C) for 1½ hours. I don't cook my meatloaf in a loaf pan. I form it into a loaf and put it into a baking dish. I prefer this method because I think putting it in a loaf pan makes it stew in the juices instead of roasting it.

You don't need to buy the extra lean ground beef for this dish. According to Nourishing Traditions (page 357) The University of Missouri conducted tests on regular, lean and extra lean ground beef. They found that the broiling (grilling) process almost levelled out the cholesterol and fat content of the beef. They started as 28.5 percent for the regular beef and nine percent for the extra lean. The higher fat beef lost mainly fat and cholesterol while the leaner meat lost moisture. In the end the regular beef had only four percent more fat than the leaner beef but the test tasters said the regular beef was juicer and more tender.

If you would like to serve a good gravy with the meatloaf, throw out that gravy mix and do this instead. When you take the meat from the roasting pan, drain off any excess fat in the pan keeping about ½ cup - it needs to cover the bottom of the pan. Add salt and pepper, ½ cup plain (all purpose) flour and stir this all together over a medium heat. Stand at the pan and keep stirring because this can easily burn. What you're trying to do is to develop a deep brown colour in the mix without burning it. When it gets towards the colour you like for your gravy, add homemade stock if you have it (beef or chicken will do) or water if you have no stock. Stir quickly, to prevent lumps forming, until the liquid is thick and lump-free. Turn the gravy right down to a very low heat and serve your meat and vegetables and then pour the hot gravy on top of the meat. This gravy will store in the fridge for one night - use it the next day.

I'm going to be busy today. I have some fundraising baking to do this morning. I'm making a couple of dozen mini quiches to be sold at our stall this morning. If you're in Maleny, please drop buy, we have cakes, slices, plants and books, and all money raised goes to the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre. After I drop off the quiches, I'll come home again to tidy up and after lunch I'll drive Hanno to the doctor. He's been having trouble with his knee for some time and his doctor has referred him on to a specialist. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it's nothing serious.

There is a bit of work to be done over the weekend but I hope to get through it all early so I can spend a bit of time knitting and sewing. There are always things to do when you make the majority of what you use - sometimes you look forward to the tasks, sometimes you don't But overall being busy with life tasks fills my days with interesting work and that is the most anyone can hope for. I'd take interesting work over watching "soapies", shopping and "retirement" any day.

Thank you for your comments here and visits to the forum this week. I love reading your comments, they give me the feeling that I'm not alone and inspire me more than you can know. I hope you have a peaceful weekend.