Michael Stugrin

Helens Meatloaf Dinner

Helens Meatloaf Pan-Roasted Root Vegetables Creasys Apple Applesauce Farmers Raisin Cake
Back in the day, supermarkets sold meatloaf mix, equal amounts of ground beef, pork, and veal. These days, I usually use a combination of ground beef and ground turkey, but sometimes just ground turkey using my variation of Ina Gartens terriZic turkey meatloaf. I also enjoy Lydia Bastianichs meatloaf, or polpettone, which calls for ground beef and pork; carrots, celery; and onions pulsed in a food processor to make a paste or pestata; and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Luckily for all cooks and chefs, meat loaf is inZinitely forgiving and open to creative suggestionmore or less spice, no garlic or lots of garlic, ketchup or barbecue sauce or smoky bacon slices on the top or none at all. My Mothers meatloaf was the ultimate comfort food, providing both a great meal and superb meatloaf sandwiches for my fathers lunch pail. She made her meatloaf free-form, placed it in her favorite heavy aluminum frying pan, and surrounded it with chunks of potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. Over the years, Ive made hundreds of meatloaves, experimenting and evolving, but my enthusiasm for this favorite version links directly back to my childhood. The fall in Bloomsburg was all about apples, applesauce, and cidervery much like Normandy. To go with meatloaf or pork chops or pork roast, Mom made fresh applesauce using apples from the Creasy familys roadside stand up on Catawissa Hill. Our hearty fall

24

Eat Your Memories

meals often ended with raisin cake with cream cheese icing. Mom made a terriZic, rich cream cheese icing for raisin cake, carrot cake, and various cupcakes. In recent years, however, I tend to use a low-fat prepared whipped topping, or no topping at all. Helens Meatloaf 2 pounds ground meat (any combination of ground beef, pork, veal, turkey, sausage) cup dry bread crumbs cup milk cup tomato sauce (or ketchup or barbecue sauce, if you like) 2 eggs 1 small onion Zinely chopped cup Zlat-leaf parsley Zinely chopped 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon kosher salt dried sage and thyme teaspoon freshly ground pepper Mix all ingredients thoroughly and spread into a loaf pan or baking casserole. Bake at 350F degrees for 60 to 75 minutes, until the sides pull away and the juice runs clear. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes, then cut into thick slices and serve. Pan-Roasted Vegetables Ive evolved Moms pan-roasting technique a bit. Cut desired quantity of carrots, celery, baby white or red potatoes, and turnips or rutabagas or parsnips into chunks and place in a heavy frying pan large enough to hold the vegetables; add 3 tablespoons water and 3 tablespoons butter, a bit of dried sage and thyme, dashes of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Saut covered over medium heat until tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Add a bit more butter and/or water if needed. When the vegetables are tender, remove cover and turn up the heat for a few minutes to caramelize. Creasys Orchard Applesauce 4 medium cooking apples (e.g., Granny Smith, Fuji) peeled, cored, quartered 1 cup water cup brown sugar packed
25

Michael Stugrin
teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg dash of kosher salt Combine apples and water in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender. Add sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; stir well, simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Farmers Raisin Cake 1 cups raisins 2 cups water cup canola oil 1 teaspoon baking soda teaspoon kosher salt cup organic cane sugar cup light brown sugar teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cups all-purpose Zlour Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly grease a 10x10 inch baking pan. Boil the raisins in the water for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely. In the same pan, add the canola oil, Jlour, soda, salt, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped nuts. Mix well and pour batter into baking pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If de- sired, serve with a dollop of whipped cream or prepared non-dairy whip or cream-cheese frosting.

26