Meatloaf 101 (Almost)

Tuesday was the first day of school in Swarthmore. I saw families taking the required photos of backpack clad children sporting new clothes and somewhat apprehensive and forlorn faces, waiting to welcome the trustworthy yellow school bus. A memory indeed! Well, now that summer is over, our Tuesday night dinners have resumed (hooray!), and I decided to serve meatloaf using the Martha Stewart’s recipe. It is chock full of vegetables and herbs and quite yummy, especially the next day on a sandwich with some mustard and cheese. This is Martha’s Mom, Mrs Kostyra’s recipe that has been Marthaized, I think.

We have already discussed the fact that Martha is one of my idols, and although, I am truly amazed by her domestic prowess, I don’t think she has an exclusive on originality or taste. Considering this, I often call upon my audacious instincts (such that they are) and resist following Martha’s instructions exactly (don’t tell her; she may harm me - God knows what skills she picked up in the pokey), so I am going to give it to you a bit customized, “a fairly good thing”, if you will. Also, I used about one-half of everything and the version below reflects those adjustments.

Almost Martha’s Meatloaf

Ingredients
Serves 4-6 (depending on how hungry everyone is and if you are serving men hearty eaters)
3 slices white bread, torn into pieces
1/3 pound each ground beef, pork and veal
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into eighths
3 or 6 or 9 cloves of garlic (one can never use too much garlic)
2 stalks celery, cut into tiny pieces
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
2 large eggs
½ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Glaze Mixture
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon rosemary

Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place all meatloaf ingredients in a bowl using hands to mix well.

Shape into a loaf and place in a pan. Bake for 30 minutes then brush glaze mixture on and bake for 30 minutes more or until meat thermometer reads 160°. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

This really is a yummy recipe. I served it with red potatoes mashed with sour cream, and an arugula and orange salad.

School Bus image from Google images.