Comfort Food

Sometimes a little cozy comfort food really hits the spot. Having recently discovered "Two Fat Ladies" - have you ever watched them? British hilarity at its finest - I was inspired to make my own version of one of their dishes...meatloaf. I have a meatloaf recipe that I have used for years, 12 to be exact, so when I watched the "Two Fat Ladies" make their meatloaf, I had to give it a try...omitting things like chicken liver, 'cause I'm just not in to that...actually, I changed so many of the ingredients that it really is no where near their meatloaf anymore, but it was totally inspired by watching them, so I must give them kudo's for that. This maddening meatloaf is comprised primarily of four different kinds of meat: ground beef, ground pork, pork sausage, and ground veal. Place all of the meat in a large bowl and set aside. Saute one large onion and 6-8 large mushroom caps (with stems removed) in about 3 Tbs. of butter. When the onions are nearly translucent, add 4 cloves of minced garlic to the mix and saute a few minutes more. Pour onto the meat  mixture and top with two eggs, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 Tbs. Kosher salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, 2 tsp. basil, 1 tsp. thyme, and 1/4 tsp allspice. Mix together with your hands until well combined.

In a large roasting pan, shape into a loaf and criss-cross with bacon, tucking several bay leaves in and around the bacon and topping with sprigs of rosemary. Bake at 375 degrees until meat thermometer reads 165 degrees and meat is no longer pink, about 45 - 60 minutes.

Maddening Meatloaf

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground veal

1 lb. ground pork

1 lb. pork sausage

3 Tbs. butter

1 large yellow onion, diced

6-8 large mushroom caps, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic

1 Tbs. Kosher salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. basil (dried)

1/4 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. thyme

2 eggs

1/4 cup bread crumbs
3-4 sprigs rosemary
3-4 bay leaves
5-6 slices bacon

Combine meat in a large bowl and set aside. In a medium saute pan, heat 3 Tbs. of butter, add onions and mushrooms, sauteing 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 2-3 minutes more or until onions are tender. Pour onion mixture into meat mixture and add eggs, seasonings, and bread crumbs. Using your hands, mix until well combined. Criss cross bacon across the top of loaf and tuck rosemary and bay leaves in and around bacon. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes. Discard rosemary and bay leaves before slicing. Enjoy!

xox,

A