It’s a damp, gray March day; the perfect time to think about making a simple, mebbe old fashioned comfort meal.
Like… meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, and mebbe some nice peas on the side.
For the meatloaf, I turned to this book given to me by a friend: the 1942 (rev. 1944) edition of The Good Housekeeping Cook Book. Considering the year(s) this book was published in, I was not surprised to find the recipe heavier on grains than meat.
I adjusted the recipe just a bit, adding some ground pork to the called for ground beef, replaced the called for wheat cereal flakes with crushed Ritz crackers, and added some of my preferred seasonings to a recipe that would’ve been more than bland enough for my dad to have loved, had been over here and not in Europe at the time, but a bit too bland for me today.
All in all, a nice meatloaf, if a bit crumbly, and you could easily fix that by cutting back to one cup of milk, I’d think.
INGREDIENTS
Meatloaf:
•1 lb ground beef
•1/2 lb ground pork
•1-1/2 cup cracker crumbs
•1 egg, beaten
•1-1/2 cup milk
•1-1/2 tsp horseradish
•1/4 cup minced onion
•1/4 cup diced celery
•1-1/2 tbsp ketchup
•1/2 tsp Cajun Power Spicy Garlic Pepper Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
•1/2 tsp dried mustard
•1 tsp seasoned salt
•1/2 tsp sea salt
•1/4 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1 tsp sugar
Glaze:
•2 tbsp barbecue sauce
•1 tbsp cup ketchup (I used ‘sup!)
•1 tbsp yellow mustard
Heat oven to 375º and oil a loaf pan.
Make the glaze by whisking together the barbecue sauce, with the ketchup and yellow mustard in a small container, then set aside.
Whisk the egg with the milk and seasonings in a large bowl.
Stir in the cracker crumbs and let rest for five minutes or so.
Add the onion, celery, and meat and blend well. Let us face it, the best way to do this is with your bare hands. You’re gonna get messy, deal with it.
Pack into the prepared loaf pan set on a large, foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to catch any juices that may run over the edge of the loaf pan).
Bake for 75 minutes, until cooked through.
Serve as you will. I went old school with Kraft Dinner (but I did add a bit of Sriracha while stirring it together) and French peas.
Not too, too bad for a cold, damp day.