JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One of my favorite meals, as a kid and to this day, is meatloaf. I love the way it smells when it is cooking, the simplicity and the memories. Tuesday nights was dinner with Memaw night when I was a kid. Any time she would ask I would me what I wanted it for dinner it was MEATLOAF. I knew this meant peas and mashed potatoes would be on the side and the best part, LEFTOVERS -- meatloaf sandwiches!
Today I am making a Memaw inspired meatloaf, but with out the ground beef. Don't turn your nose up yet. I promise, even though it's light on fat, it is big on flavor. We are going to layer the flavor with stuff you most likely have in your pantry, caramelized the outside and bring a flavor kick with an easy glaze.
Recipe:
1# Ground Turkey Breast
1/2# Ground Lean Pork
1/2 C Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Sweet Onion Caramelized
2-3 Oz. Puree Tomato or for more Tomato flavor try Tomato paste
2-4 Oz. Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper to taste
Glaze:
2 Oz. Whole seed or ground mustard
1 Tbsp Honey
Sambal or Sriracha sauce to taste...careful this stuff is HOT. You can find this at Asian markets and in most grocery stores
Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
In a bowl combine the Turkey, Pork, caramelized onion, Tomato puree, egg and breadcrumbs. Add the tomato and bread crumbs in stages. You can always add more.
Mix to combine well
Remember this is mix, flop, shape and bake. So the next step is the flop. Right on a rimmed cookie sheet. Shape the mix into a loaf.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Remove Loaf and coat with about half of the glaze. Continue cooking for another 10 - 15 minutes. Remove and check temperature. It should be 160 degrees. Glaze again while hot. Allow the loaf to rest for 5-10 minutes. This allows carry over cooking to rise to 165 degrees and the juices to rest. It also allows the glaze to get good and sticky.
Carve loaf with a sharp knife about an inch thick or so and serve with your favorite sides.
Like any recipe, you can change it to fit your taste buds and what you have handy. I think once you give a free-form meatloaf a chance and you bring in a little Culinary Nunnsense you too will agree, there is Nunn better.