I Would do Anything for Love...But I Won't Eat That: Meat Loaf

Following Pixie's suggestion, I'm entering my mother's Meatloaf in Elly Says Opa's Eat to the Beat event.



Not only does my mom's post share the same name as the artist, the song "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that" relates strongly to the way I feel about eating her meatloaf (or anyone else's for that matter).



Do you notice how things change with time - the way we think, the values we hold so dear to us, and foods we eat or will try that once we would have considered totally taboo. I seem to recall Psychgrad and her brother, Actorboy, wincing in utter pain when the response they received when they said "what's for dinner" was met with a cheery M-E-A-T-L-O-A-F. The first response, usually from Psychgrad was "awww mom, you know I'm not going to eat that" and then Actorboy would whine "forget it mom, I hate that stuff". Psychgrad was always the most fussy eater, the one who could only eat vegetables if they were raw. Actorboy was more concerned with the consistency of foods and how they danced - or not - on his pallette.

It never ceases to amaze me at the depth of Psychgrad's current willingness to try new foods and experiment with new recipes. I'd like to think it has something to do with mom not giving in to the rantings of her children, although I think it really has more to do with maturity and wisdom - theirs, not mine.

The other day I made a care package run to Actorboy in an effort to clean out my own freezer. All the things that once would have been met with resistence are now entirely appreciated - even MEATLOAF.



Ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 lbs lean ground meat (I used ground veal)
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 eggs
1/4 cup ketchup (secret ingredient)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1 tblsp worcestershire sauce (I like it but not entirely necessary)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 - 3/4 cup fine bread crumbs

Process:

1. Process celery, carrot, onion and garlic
I always did this to mask the appearance of the vegetables and to make sure there were no chunks. I don't think I even need to elaborate on what would have been said with chunks of onion in the meatloaf.
2. Add to ground meat
3. Add all other ingredients and mix (by hand) until blended. It's best not to overmix to avoid a tough meatloaf.



4. Shape to fit a sprayed loaf pan


5. Top with a little ketchup for added flavour and eye appeal



6. Bake at 375 F for approximately an hour (start checking at 50 minutes)
There will likely be some accumulated juices - I just pour them off.
7. Allow meatloaf to sit for about 10 minutes (the longer the better) so that it doesn't fall apart when you cut it.
I try to make meatloaf a day in advance. After it's been in the fridge overnight, it cuts like a charm and simple to warm up.


**NOTE FROM PSYCHGRAD** I still don't like meatloaf. In fact, as I said here, I don't like large chunks of ground beef. So, Giz will probably get the same response from me if she tells me that she made meatloaf for dinner when I visit.

**Note from Giz** Taking Psychgrad out for dinner was always a case of one of three possible choices - usually she would opt for a corned beef sandwich. Here's your virtual corned beef sandwich (compliments of The Pickle Barrel, Toronto). You can have it instead of meatloaf. Who says I'm not accomodating?