So Many Dishes

I doubt that meatloaf was high on the list of meals cooked for mothers this past Sunday, but that’s what Ken made for me, and I was just fine with it.

Given all the cooking he did while I was sick, it hadn’t occurred to me that he would want to cook for Mother’s Day, too. But he did, and I wasn’t going to say no. He asked what I wanted, and my first thought was spaghetti his delicious red clam sauce. Then we looked at each other and said, “who’s going to be here?” Both Alice and Luke love the dish. Dante, Alice’s boyfriend, has rather limited tastes. (It amazes me that both our kids, who eat everything, ended up with picky-eater partners. That’s a story for another time). Ken suggested his Italian meatloaf, and I readily agreed.

Meatloaf is one of Ken’s specialties. In addition to the Italian loaf, he does a Spanish version and a barbecue loaf, as well. I think he likes to play with ground meat; he makes meatballs every which way.

Ken’s recipe comes from one of our Cooking Light annual compilations. He sticks pretty closely to the recipe, but substitutes two whole eggs for two egg whites, and is generous with the pasta sauce he brushes on top. Initially, Ken thought he could have cut the amount of Parmesan, and I agreed. After we ate the leftovers on Monday, though, we’re undecided on this question. On Sunday, the cheese seemed to dominate. By Monday, the flavors were perfectly balanced. We’ll see what he decides to do next time.

Italian-Style Meat Loaf

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup tomato-basil pasta sauce, divided
• 1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine beef, 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce, and all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Shape mixture into an 8×4-inch loaf on a shallow pan coated with cooking spray. Brush remaining 1/2 cup pasta sauce over top of the meatloaf. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees. Let stand 10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Ken actually bakes this in a loaf pan made specifically for meatloaf. It has an insert with drainage holes that hooks over the ends of the pan, so that the fat drains away from the meat. It works really well; it makes it very easy to lift the loaf out of the pan onto a platter.

We served simple sides: a green salad dressed with our good calamansi vinegar and the “good” olive oil, and small shell pasta with lemon juice, butter, and a bit of chopped fresh basil. It was a delicious dinner to cap off a great day.

Happy eating!