"Ughhhhhh," said the 6yo. "It looks like sick." Now readers, tell me! Tell me, does that look like sick to you? The 4yo said: "But I thought you meant meat... in a loaf." They refused to eat it and so had hummus and breadsticks again, whilst my husband LOVED it. I mean really loved it. I think it was the meat in the title that did it. Men will eat anything with meat in the title (unless they're vegetarian, of course).
The picture doesn't do my meatloaf justice. It came out of its loaf tin looking like a loaf. It was savoury. It was more-ish. It was GODDAMN delicious. My children know nothing. Some days they come home from school saying they prefer school dinners to my cooking. I mean. Pests.
This meatloaf is made with pork mince, but you could use beef or lamb and then mix up your seasonings. I used sultanas, pine nuts and sage. But had I used lamb I would have used pistachio, chopped olives and chopped rosemary. Do you see where I am going with this?
I served mine with cauliflower cheese, just because I love it.
So see what side of the fence you fall on. Meatloaf's or my children. That is a threat by the way. Just to be clear.
Meatloaf: serves 6
Prep: 10m Cook: 40m
500g lean minced pork
One chopped onion/or equivalent amount of ready cooked Easy Onions or ready chopped sofrito
Handful pinenuts
Handful raisins
Handful breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 beaten egg
1 1/2lb loaf tin
Grease the loaf tin. In a large mixing bowl mix the mince, chopped onion, pinenuts, raisins, breadcrumbs, sage with the beaten egg. Season. Put in loaf tin and level off. Cook at 180c for 40m. Serve with cauliflower cheese.
Meatloaf all the way. We love it here - but my kids are also fans, so I win.
ReplyDeleteOur family loves meatloaf. We usually use ground turkey instead of ground beef. I also sneak in lots of veggies with this dish by steaming and mashing up all types of veggies - peas, carrots, cauliflower, spinach, broccoli, and even some edemame. Mix it all together with seasoning, panko, and an egg or two. They never knew that they were eating those veggies!
ReplyDeleteGood idea about the vegetables.
DeleteI always like the idea of liking meatloaf but actually don't really like it. It just sounds cool on US TV when people talk about enjoying a meatloaf sandwich. But, I know my kids would not eat this. They seem to like meat in miniature form so I would probably try shaping this recipe into little patties or meatballs and then they would eat all of it. They like the ratio of crispy outside to be equal to the quantity of soft centre, so do I in fact!
ReplyDeleteI know! US popular culture has a lot to blame for. Like my peanut butter and jelly addiction. I read about it in Judy Blume and become hooked. Love the idea of mini ones!
DeleteCan I say that some school dinners can be really very good, and I still sometimes have a happy moment remembering jam roly poly and custard. I'm not sure if that's how you spell it though so may not have picked up much beyond suet.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Still not sure I like the comparison!
DeleteCompared to the North American meatloaf I grew up with, yes, that does look like sick. Am sure it was delicious though......Maybe leave out the sultanas and pinenuts, add some chooped or grated carrots instead, and serve with a tomato sauce next time which is much more typical. You can also put in porridge oats instead of breadcrumbs. I would use a mixture of pork and beef or just beef, personally.
ReplyDeleteYes, i picked up pork mince by mistake and although it was nice, it was a bit like stuffing, and so soon after christmas. next time lamb.
DeleteDo you not eat beef? If you do, then use mince the next time, and add worcester sauce, the onion, grated carrot, egg, breadcrumbs or porridge oats. What you made there was basically a huge piece of stuffing. Anyway, try making your next loaf in a freeform, just mound it on a tray and pat it into shape. A meatloaf sandwich with brown sauce is lovely.
DeleteMeatloaf gets the thumbs-up in this house. As for the crushing school dinners comment - if it's any consolation, my friend's 5yo on her first plane journey guzzled down the plastic-tray dinner, sighed contentedly and said "That was the nicest meal I've ever had". Imagine the pain.
ReplyDeleteThat would cut me to the core too! Sweetheart though.
DeleteYou know, I've never made this or eaten it. But I am confused why as it's just a big burger you slice up? Sounds brilliant!!
ReplyDeleteThe problem was in the vision they had in their heads, I think. Like eating a caramel chocolate when you are expecting an orange cream. They were expecting meat in a loaf. They were given mince shaped like a loaf. Crucial difference when you are 4 and 6.
ReplyDeleteNigella (in "Express" I think) has a mini meatloaf recipe. You might use your own ingredients but cook in her form of several small 'loaves' on a baking sheet, for using as needed. Makes for a "larger" crust area per serving and avoids the comments on what the inside of a large slice might resemble..
ReplyDeleteHa ha. Very good and oh so true!
ReplyDelete