There are many versions and ideas of meat loaf around the world, but for me, ground meat, some kind of starchy filler, egg, liquid, seasonings and a topping are standard. After that, the sky’s the limit. I went through my recipe collection to find variations on the meat loaf theme and this is what came up:
Let’s start with the meat; beef is the most common, but years ago there was a standard ground meat mixture sold in markets called “meatloaf mix” that was ½ ground beef, ¼ ground pork and ¼ ground veal. Actually you can still find this in a few places but veal is getting to be so rare and so expensive that it is definitely hard to find. Here in Red Wing I found it in the regular packaged meat case at Koplin’s Village.
The starchy filler is really variable; some folks swear by bread crumbs, others use crackers. Then there are the aficionados of wheat germ, oatmeal, farina (cream of wheat) or other cereal grains. Do you dump the crumbs in dry or soak them first in milk or water?
Egg is necessary to bind the mixture together so the loaf doesn’t crumble apart after it’s cooked. Egg substitutes work perfectly well, as do just egg whites or just yolks. If you use just yolks, you will need some extra liquid for moisture.
The liquid is extremely important and will determine the moistness of your loaf as well as add to the flavor. Common liquids used are milk, wine, water, broth, or tomato juice.
Seasonings can really make your meat loaf distinctive and also define its character: Mexican meatloaf using chili powder and cumin, French using tarragon, Italian using an Italian seasoning blend, etc. Salt and pepper are standard, but I came across recipes that had Worcestershire sauce, onion-soup mix, horseradish, mustard, sage, thyme, oregano, Italian salad-dressing mix and garlic powder.
Add-ins are getting very popular these days—especially vegetables. I guess the thinking goes that since meatloaf is usually an acceptable food to husbands and children, it’s a good place to get them to eat more vegetables. Chopped onions are pretty standard, but now red and green peppers, carrots, peas, even broccoli (I don’t recommend this one) are added to what is usually termed “calico meatloaf.”
What is a meatloaf topping? Well, when I was a kid my Mom used catsup—sometimes mixed with brown sugar and mustard. But again, only your imagination limits you here. Mashed potatoes, canned ravioli (no kidding), chili sauce, soups, pickle relish, cheese, mushrooms, bacon slices, pastry crusts or filo dough all are found on the top of a meatloaf somewhere. Some recipes called for pouring off the drippings, skimming the fat and adding tomato juice to reserved sauce and thickening it for gravy to serve over the finished loaf.
After reading about all these meat loaves, I got the bug to come up with a basic meatloaf and then give some of the more appealing variations a try. Here is the basic meatloaf mix I used:
1 ½ pounds ground beef or mixture of beef, pork and veal if you can find it
½ cup dried bread crumbs
1 egg
½ cup milk
¼ cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. dry mustard
Mix all ingredients with hands, gently. Spread mixture in an ungreased loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inches, or shape into a free-form loaf to bake in an ungreased baking pan. Spoon topping of your choice onto loaf. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 1-to-1 ¼ hours. Drain off fat. Makes about 6 servings.
Meat loaf and mashed potatoes seem to me to be a natural combo, so I am including this variation (which we loved).
4 slices fresh soft bread
2 pounds ground beef
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground sage
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup milk
2 eggs
1 small onion, quartered
5 parsley sprigs
1 4-inch-long stalk celery
4 medium potatoes, cooked and mashed with milk and butter, salt and pepper
2 Tbsp melted butter
Into food processor or blender tear bread and process until finely crumbled; empty into large bowl. Mix beef, salt, sage and pepper with crumbs. Into blender container put milk, eggs, onion, parsley and celery. Cover and blend until vegetables are finely chopped. Pour over meat; mix well. Place meat mixture in a sprayed loaf pan (10 x 5 x 3”). Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread mashed potatoes over top, sealing to edges of pan. Bake for ten minutes. Remove and drizzle melted butter over potatoes and broil until potatoes brown slightly.
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