Meat Loaf – I Can See Paradise by the Oven Light

Ain’t no doubt about it, this meat loaf is doubly blessed – mushrooms flavor both the meat and the gravy. Because I am beginning to look like our friend Meat Loaf over there, I started Weight Watchers today, and thus have no intention of blowing an entire days points on dinner by actually making this particular meat loaf tonight. But I had mentioned it in a previous post, and a reader has requested the recipe, so here it is.

Although this is not Irene’s only meat loaf recipe, it is a particularly interesting, if not a bit fattening, one. She’s got another good meat loaf recipe in her short-lived blog Cooking with Grandma. Maybe you guys can convince her to restart her blog. The world needs her recipes. Until then I will continue to leak them to you through my blog. (Carl Rove, step aside.)

MEAT LOAF
Oliver Clark’s from the New York Times
With variations by Irene

3 cloves garlic
2 tbsps. olive oil
2 medium onions
1 red pepper
salt and pepper
5 oz. fresh mushrooms
1 lb. Ground beef
1 lb. Ground pork or sausage meat
½ cup matzo meal
1 tsp. Dijon mustard, heaping
1-1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsps ketchup
1 tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 tbsps. whipped cream cheese
½ cup chicken or beef broth
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ lb. Bacon

Ingredients for gravy:

2 small cans tomato sauce (8 oz. cans)
5 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp. Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In food processor, coarsely chop garlic, onions and red pepper.
3. Saute garlic, onions and red pepper in 1 tbsp. Olive oil. Take out.
4. Coarsely chop mushrooms in food processor. Then saute in 1 tbsp. Olive oil until they give up their liquid. Take out. Place in large mixing bowl with garlic onions and pepper. Sprinkle all with salt and pepper.
5. Stir the whipped cream cheese into the warm vegetables until the cheese melts.
6. Add all remaining ingredients except the bacon.
7. Toss lightly until well mixed but do not overmix.
8. Shape into loaf shape in baking pan.
9. Lay about 8 half strips of bacon on top of loaf just to cover.
10. Pour 2-8 oz. cans of tomato sauce alongside of the loaf.
11. Bake for 1 hour. Turn bacon to brown other side.
12. Slice another 5 oz. fresh mushrooms and add to tomato gravy and return to oven for 20 minutes.
13. Remove meat loaf to serving platter. Let rest 10 minutes while preparing gravy.
14. Pour tomato/mushroom gravy into saucepan. Add 1 tbsp. Sugar. Skim fat from surface and keep warm.
15. Slice meat loaf. Serve gravy separately.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Category: Food