Meatloaf en Croute

I made this tonight and it was well worth the effort. The tomatoes on top of the meat loaf were really tasty. I bought a new digital camera so I could take pictures of the food and the processes. Hopefully they will help you in making this dish - there are a lot of steps. I served this with a broccoli and cauliflower gratin.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
2/3 C dark brown sugar
½ C cider vinegar
½ t salt
1 -2 lb firm tomatoes

1 lb lamb, ground
½ lb pork, ground
½ lb ground round
1 head garlic, crushed
1 shallot, minced
¼ C fresh mint, chopped
¼ C fresh basil, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 egg
1 C plain bread crumbs

Puffed pastry crust
1 egg white
1 egg yolk
1 T heavy whipping cream

Preparation:

In a food processor, combine onion, olive oil, dark brown sugar, cider vinegar, and salt until well combined. Slice tomatoes to about 1/8 inch thick. Layer tomatoes in a 9X13 inch baking dish and cover with sauce. Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 375.

In a bowl, combine lamb, pork, ground round, garlic, shallot, mint, basil, jalapeno, egg and bread crumbs.

Roll out puffed pastry into long rectangle; lay on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper. Make a long loaf with the meat mixture, lay it down lengthwise over the pastry. Finish layering the tomatoes around the meatloaf. Cut the corners of the pastry dough away (use for decorating the top if desired). Wrap the loaf with the dough, ends first. Use the whipped egg white to seal the dough where it touches, avoid sealing the bottom four corners of the pastry to allow passage of fats and moisture during the cooking process. Combine the egg yolk and cream; brush mixture over all of the exposed dough. Sprinkle with kosher salt, about a teaspoon.

Bake for 45 minutes. Check after 25 minutes for browning of the pastry. If the pastry is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the remaining 25 minutes. Check with a meat thermometer for an internal temperature of 160.

Meat Loaf with Mushroom Gravy

My husband is really not all that into traditional meat loaf with the ketchup style topping. While I love it, he thinks it's just too weird. So, I made this for dinner tonight to change his mind about meat loaf in general. He loved it and told me to write it down, so I am.

Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

- 1 lb Ground Lamb

- 1/2 lb Ground Pork (plain)

- 1/2 lb Ground Round

- 4 Cloves Garlic, Crushed

- 1/2 t Ground Cumin

- 1/2 t Ground Chili Powder

- 1/2 t Onion Powder

- 2 T Worcestershire Sauce

- 1/2 C Italian Bread Crumbs

- 2 Egg Yolks

- 1 t Salt

- 1 t Ground Black Pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Place mixture into a large loaf pan. Bake for one hour; remove and cover with foil. Let stand 15 minutes, slice and serve with mushroom gravy (recipe below).

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

- 3 t Beef Bullion Granules

- 6 t Cornstarch

- 2 1/2 C Water (Potato water if you made mashed potatoes)

- 1/2 C Red Wine (I use Merlot)

- 8 or 9 Crimini Mushrooms, Sliced

- 1 Shallot, Minced

- 2 T Olive Oil

- Black Pepper to Taste

Preparation:

In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, cook sliced mushrooms, shallot, and black pepper in olive oil, stirring frequently. Cook about 20 minutes or until mushrooms and shallots are very tender. Remove from pan and set aside, covered.

In a pyrex measuring cup, combine bullion granules and cornstarch. Add 1/2 cup potato water (best if still hot) and mix until the bullion and cornstarch are dissolved. Add the wine and remaining water to the mixture and pour into the same saucepan the mushrooms were previously in. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, add the mushroom mixture and stir. The sauce will thicken. Serve hot over meat loaf and mashed potatoes!

Meaty Chili

One thing people assume about chili is that it has beans in it. If you've ever been to a chili cook-off, you'll notice there are no beans involved in chili at all. Beans are considered a filler in chili, which is really just a spicy meat stew/soup. There are a lot of ways to serve chili - in a bread bowl, topped with cheese, sour cream, diced onion, chopped tomato, salsa, chili sauce, or hot pepper sauce. I'm sure there are a lot of other ways people eat their chili, but these are just a few suggestions. I like to use chili on my taco salads, too.

Here is a recipe for some meaty chili (without beans) I made for my family last night. We ate the rest of it tonight - so it does make great left overs!

Ingredients:

1 lb - ground lamb

1/2 lb - ground round

1/2 lb - ground country sausage

1 - yellow onion, diced

2 - carrots, diced

2 - stalks celery, diced

10 - crimini mushrooms, finely chopped

2 - small green bell peppers, diced

4 T - extra virgin olive oil

1 14.5 oz can - diced tomatoes, with juice

1/4 C - sun dried tomato pesto

1/2 C - roasted red bell pepper, diced

1 t - mole (make sure it is blended well)

2 t - chili powder

2 t - ground cumin

1/2 t - onion powder

1/2 t - garlic powder

1 C - beef broth

Directions

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and all meat. Cook until meat is no longer pink and resembles medium to fine crumbs. While the meat and veggies are cooking, mix all other ingredients, except beef broth, in a bowl. Once meat is ready, add the sauce and mix well. Add the beef broth, stir and bring to a low simmer. Cook for 10 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

Split Pea and Ham Soup

Another yummy soup. I knew I wanted to make split pea and ham soup, but really couldn't find a recipe that met my needs for timing AND simplicity. So, this morning I made this recipe up and hoped for the best! I had already purchased the ham hocks and split peas in anticipation of making the soup.

Ingredients:

1 lb bag dried split peas, rinsed

2 ham hocks

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, diced

1 celery stick, diced

3 bay leaves

3 T Ham Boullion

6 Cups water

Directions:

In your slow cooker (crock pot), place the items, without stirring, in this order, spreading somewhat evenly: peas --> onion --> celery --> carrot --> ham hocks --> (water with boullion mixed in) --> bay leaves. Make sure ham hocks are completely under the water. Cover and cook 8 to 10 hours. Remove ham hocks completely - they will fall apart, so make sure to get all of the bones and fat out. Find any meat on the ham hocks you can and add it back to the soup. Remove the bay leaves (they should be floating on top). Stir the soup, serve and enjoy!

This soup is so simple and yummy! It only takes about 10 minutes to put together and about another 5 minutes to finish up at the end of the day. I served with warm French rolls.

Chile Verde

2-3 Lb. Pork Shoulder Roast
1 Cup Beef Broth
Chili Powder
Ground Cumin
Garlic Salt
Black Pepper
3 or More Fresh, Whole Jalapenos
1 Large Can Diced Green Chiles
1 Jar Green Salsa (I use La Victoria)

In a crockpot, lay the roast fat side up. Add broth and lay jalapenos to the side of the roast in the broth. Over the fat only, trying to avoid adding too much to the broth, sprinkle the cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, and pepper liberally. Cook on low for 12 to 13 hours.

Remove the roast from the crockpot. Remove the fat and bones from the roast; shred the meat into large chunks. In a large bowl, add the shredded meat, green chiles and salsa. Strain 1 to 1/2 cups of the broth from the crockpot into the bowl and combine. Empty the crockpot of everything else and add the meat mixture to the crockpot.

Serve with brown beans and tortillas.

Penzey's Spices - Turkish Seasoning

I used to buy all my spices from the grocery store, but in the last few years I have gotten hooked on Penzey's Spices. I like them because they have a much better selection than you can find in most stores, you can buy the spices in many different volumes, and the spices themselves seem to be a bit more fresh. They often will send you a small sample bottle of one of their spice mixes with your order. In my last order, they sent me a bottle of their Turkish Seasoning which is now my favorite spice blend.

Turkish Seasoning is a blend of salt, garlic, cumin, black pepper, oregano, paprika, sumac, red pepper and cilantro. I've made up two different recipes that work with this seasoning which are found below.

Peas and Rice
This is sort of a mix between a pilaf and a risotto.
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 medium clove garlic
1 can drained chickpeas
1 1/2 cup wild rice mix (I use a mix I bought at Costco - Organic Harvest Medley)
1 can tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp Turkish seasoning
3 cups broth
2 cups defrosted frozen peas

Cook the onion in butter and sugar until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 min. Add chickpeas, wild rice, tomatoes and cook 1 minute. Add white wine, salt, parsley, Turkish seasoning and the broth. Simmer covered until the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add the defrosted peas until they are warmed.


Fessenjon
This recipe is my attempt at recreating a Persian stew made of walnuts and pomegranate juice that I first had in California. Be warned that while it is tasty, it does not look pretty.
1 cup toasted walnuts
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
2 lbs pork, cut into bite sized pieces (chicken works well too)
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Turkish seasoning (OR use an extra 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice after cooking)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
cooked white rice or saffron rice

Puree the onion with the walnuts, tomato paste, and 1 cup of the pomegranate juice. Lightly brown the pork in the oil and 1/2 cup of the pomegranate juice using a large skillet. Add cinnamon, Turkish seasoning, brown sugar, salt and ginger to the pan and cook 2 minutes. Add the last 1 cup of pomegranate juice to the pan along with the walnut/onion mixture. Simmer, uncovered, for at least 1 hour. Serve over white or saffron* rice.

*just crumble a pinch of saffron into the cooking water of your rice.

Cafe Rio-Style Salad

A few weeks ago, our friends Staci and Jethro had us over for a party and they made Cafe Rio salads. Here is the recipe that Staci passed along. I especially love the cilantro ranch dressing.

Sweet Pork
2 lbs of pork
3 can Coke, not diet
1/4 c brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 cup water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (ex. Old El Paso medium spiciness)
1 c brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c of brown cugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight. Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water and garlic salt in crok pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily but don't let it get too dry). Remove pork form crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork. In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup you can add a little more or less to taste). If it looks to thick, add more Coke little by little. Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 more hours.

Clinatro-Lime Rice
1 c uncooked rice
1 t butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t fresh lime juice
1 - 15 oz can chicken broth
1 c water
1 T lime juice
2 t sugar
3 T fresh cilantro, chopped

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Black Beans
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c tomato juice
1 1/2 t salt
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
*optional* add a drained can of corn with a dash of cumin and chili powder

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat unitil you can smell it. Add beans, tmato juice and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Cilantro Ranch
1 packetTRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix
1 c mayo
1 c buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (keep the seeds in for a spicy dressing, remove to make it mild)
mix all ingredients in a blender

To put it all together...
Buy the aluminum deep-dish pans found in the grocery store. Lay a tortilla in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle cheese on it, and put in the oven at 375 for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, add beans, rice, pork, then lettuce and a little scoop of diced tomato and onions. Add guacamole, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips, a shake of parmesan cheese and a few cialntro leaves. Serve with the cilantro ranch dressing.

A World Series Dinner

For the last several years, my family (the three of us) have watched the World Series on television. We sit around and root for the underdog, unless the Yankees are in. (Even then, some would say we would still be rooting for the underdog.) Well, I only make this meal once per year, and this year we are mixing it up a little bit more. Here is the menu:

• Hot Dogs with Tyler Florence's "Hot Dog Chili"
• Honey Jalapeno Wings
• Lesley's Creamy Coleslaw (see previous post)
• Cracker Jacks (during the 7th inning stretch)

No. It is not the healthiest dinner I have ever put together. Then again, we only eat like this once a year. Here are the recipes for the Hot Dog Chili and the Honey Jalapeno Wings.

Tyler Florence's Hot Dog Chili
www.foodnetwork.com

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium jar ketchup, about 2 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put a skillet over medium heat and drizzle in a 2-count of olive oil. When the oil gets hazy, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until it is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, and cook until nicely browned, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the ketchup, chili powder, and mustard and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Devil Dawn's Honey Jalapeno Wings
AOL food - Dawn M a long-time Charger fan in San Diego

I cut this recipe down to one quarter the original for our small group. The recipe below makes 15 wings.

7 jalapenos
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/1 cups water
1 1/4 cups honey
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice
3/4 cup yellow mustard
15 chicken wings

Before the Game: Roast (or boil) the jalapenos until tender, then blend with all ingredients, except chicken of course, in a blender or food processor. (You can seed the jalapenos to get the flavor, but not as much of the heat if you desire.) Marinate the chicken for at least one hour, the longer the better, in most of the sauce, saving some sauce for brushing during grilling.

At the Game: Grill until done. Dawn says she doesn't know how long since the men won't let her near the grill anymore, but when they look done, that's when you're supposed to take them off the grill (apparently).

Even better, Dawn usually starts the day before, marinate several hours, and then bake right in the marinade for 25 minutes, brushing with saved marinade, just to get that great, caramelized finish.