Well friends, let's be real for a second. There are days that are just hard. There are days that your kids act up, that work is hard, that money is tight, that decisions have to be made and life is just not fun. I know I'm not the only one that has those sort of days and normally they aren't the days that I talk about with you. I mean really, who wants to read about craptastic days? Not me. Even if we don't talk about those days, we still have them. They are just life. Blah.
On days that are less than fun, the one thing that I really enjoy is cooking. Allen always tells people that cooking is cathartic for me... yeah, he likes big words. Whenever I start cooking to relax, we end up having a giant meal or something super comforting. One of those meals -- meatloaf. I don't make just any meatloaf, I make this yummy meatloaf from a recipe that I found in Food & Wine years ago. I pinned the recipe a long time ago for the sole purpose of never losing it accidentally.
You need to make this recipe. I'm not going to say it's the fastest thing in the world, but it is way worth it. The ingredient list may look daunting, but I swear it's not hard. I've made a few changes to the original recipe, mostly because the original recipe calls for lamb. I use meatloaf mix (veal, pork & beef) with extra ground beef. Again, make this. Everyone will love it, it even has the Macie seal of approval. It also makes those hard days way better. I promise.
Meatloaf with Red Wine Glaze
adapted from Food & Wine
2 slices of white sandwich bread, torn into pieces (I've used wheat in a pinch)
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped sage
1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium white onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound meatloaf mix (beef, veal, pork)
Vegetable oil, for brushing
1 1/4 cups dry red wine
1/4 cup sugar
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 teaspoon unsulfured molasses
Pinch of ground allspice
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, combine the bread pieces with the milk and mash to a paste. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, chopped parsley, sage, thyme, salt, black pepper, nutmeg and cayenne and stir until smooth. Add the parmesan and dry bread crumbs and stir until thoroughly combined.
2. In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, 1 minute longer. Let cool, then transfer to the bowl. Add the beef and meatloaf mix and knead until evenly combined.
3. Brush a medium baking dish with oil. Transfer the meat loaf mixture to the dish and pat it into a loaf shape. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until firm but not quite cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the red wine with the sugar, chopped tomato, molasses and allspice and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil until the glaze is thick and syrupy, about 25 minutes.
5. Pour half of the glaze over the meat loaf. Continue baking for about 15 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 150°; pour the remaining glaze in the last 5 minutes of baking. Let the meat loaf rest for 15 minutes, then thickly slice and serve.
PS -- Meatloaf is NOT pretty in pictures. Don't hold it against the meatloaf.. it's still super good.
