Make Me a Meal

Freedom, thy taste is meatloaf. I’m generally not a fan of beef and I could care less for steak, but my mouth waters the moment my nose senses the sizzling of ground beef. There’s something about its ability to mould into shapes that amuses me. You’ve got meatballs, meat pies, and my personal favourite, meat loaf. Yet, there’s no such thing as no meat cake; though TIWYF gets brownie points for trying.

For the most part my posts have been fairly short, in order to keep with the spirit of university life where you have X things to do but always X-6 hours to complete them. But hey! Now that school’s out you can take it slow, have some fun, and cook up a meal.

Most people celebrate finishing a year of university with cake and the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol. I like to take a different approach. I give you:

Home-style Meatloaf with Roasted Garlic-Mash & Cheddar Blanched Broccoli.
Adapted from the Guy can't Cook, by Cinda Chavich

Ingredients:

Home-style Meatloaf
-1 1/2 lb (750g) of lean ground beef
-1/2 lb (250g) of ground pork
-1 cup (250 mL) of onion, finely minced
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 large egg, lightly beaten
-1 slice of day old bread or 1/2 (125 mL) a cup of breadcrumbs
-1/2 (125 mL)of honey garlic barbecue sauce, divided into two portions
-salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Garlic-Mash
-6 medium sized potatoes
-4 Tbsp of butter
-2 Tbsp of salt
-1/2 a cup (125 mL) of milk
-1 head of roasted garlic
-1 Tbsp of olive oil
-Pepper to taste

Cheddar Blanched Broccoli
-1 head of broccoli, cut into bite sized peices
-4 cups (1 L) of water
-4 Tbsp of shredded cheddar

Serves four



1. Start by placing potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.



2. Using a food processor, break the bread slices into crumbs, remove and set aside.



3. In a large bowl, mix thoroughly ground beef, pork, diced onions, garlic, BBQ sauce, bread crumbs, beaten egg, salt and pepper.



4. Gently press the meat mixture into a loaf pan and spread the remaining barbecue sauce on top. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180°C).



5. While the oven is pre heating, take a 6 inch by 6 inch sheet of tin foil and wrap around a head of garlic with the top removed. Drizzle 1 Tbsp of olive oil and cover fully. Bake for 40 minutes along side the meatloaf.



6. Bake meat loaf at 350°F (180°C) for 50 minutes. The meatloaf should be well-browned on top and reach an internal temp of 170°F (75°C)



7. Meanwhile the potatoes should be done. Remove from the stove top, drain and cool for 5 minutes. Using a oven mitt or a thick layer of kitchen towel, peel the potatoes and cube into quarters.



8. Remove the roasted garlic and let cool for 10 minutes. Squeeze the head into the potatoes to produce the garlic which should now be a nutty brown paste. Add butter, milk, and mash.



9. In another pot, add the four cups of water and bring to a boil. Using a soup ladle, lower the broccoli into the pot. When the water begins to boil again, that means they're cooked.



10.Repeat until all the broccoli is blanched. Place cooked broccoli on a plate and sprinkle with shredded cheddar.



11. Carve the meatloaf into 6 thick slices and arrange next to the garlic-mash and blanched broccoli. Savour!