Celebration Meatloaf - Day 17.

Nothing says, "Let's Celebrate" like a meatloaf.  No, really.  Of all the things I make, meatloaf is Uncle Eater's favorite meal.  And, after working for 143 consecutive days (okay, there was a smattering of days off 10? 11?) that man deserved a hot, heaping plate of favorite dinner.
There isn't much one can say about meatloaf, though mine is especially good as it is topped with fat slabs of smokey bacon.  I was also a lazy local spendivore that day.  I went to the specialty Italian market to get the bacon, they carry a wonderfully meaty smokey slab bacon that I can get three or four slices of as I need it, and the rest of the ground meat (beef, pork, veal) I needed was right there.  It was also $4/lb more expensive than the ground meat I could have gotten at the butcher just down the street.  And I bought it anyway.  I felt a little guilty about it, mostly for taking away a sale from Main Street butcher, but my spendivore dollar voted to cut the shopping trip short and head home sooner with Little Eater to play baseball in the yard.  It amused me to note that, much like in the grocery store, one pays a premium for "convenience food."  Unlike at the grocery store, however, I knew that this convenient purchase was buying me fresh, top quality, ethically sound food.
Anyway, make my meatloaf.  Seriously.  It's really, really good.

Meatloaf
1 - Tablespoon olive oil
1 - medium onion, chopped
1 - large celery stalk, chopped
3 - garlic cloves, minced  You can use more or less to taste.  We like garlic.
1 - jalapeno, chopped  Chop it with the ribs and seeds if you want more heat
2 - teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 - teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 - teaspoon ground cumin  I am also usually a little more generous with cumin
2 - eggs
1/2 - cup milk
1/2 - cup tomato sauce or ketchup
1 - cup dry bread crumbs
2 - lbs ground meat, 1 lbs beef, 1/2 lbs pork, 1/2 lbs veal (you can sub lamb here, if you prefer)
4 - strips thick, smokey bacon.


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, garlic, and jalapeno and cook until tender but not browned (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Add salt, nutmeg, and cumin.  Remove from heat to cool.
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs.  Blend in milk, ketchup/tomato sauce, and bread crumbs.  Add meat and cooked vegetables and work with your hands to combine.  Don't over mix.
3. Pat into a 9x5 inch loaf pan.  Cut bacon strips in half and lay crosswise over the meatloaf.  Bake for an hour or so or until an instant-read thermometer registers 150 degrees F.  Remove from the oven and pour off most of the accumulated fat. 

Turn Up The Heat - Day 16.

I have been so inspired lately on my trips to the grocerette on Main Street.  Catering to the largely Latin local community, they carry a host of delicious looking foods that I have no idea how to cook or, in some cases, have never heard of.  Colorful foods.  Rich-smelling foods.  And an entire wall of chili peppers, some I know, some I don't.  I don't cook much with whole dried chilies other than readily available chipotles, because it seems that whenever I have a recipe that I want to try, I either can't find the pepper or they're $11 for a bag of 3 Whole Foods.  That's too rich even for my foodie blood.  It was a cold morning and I woke up wanting to make something for dinner that would warm the house, some spicy braise of something meaty.  That's how the morning menu planning usually begins - I feel like making something that will make me feel something and smell like something and use something with a side of something and something and I want to cook it in/on something.  I fill in the blanks for the somethings and a dinner plan was born.  In this case, with a damp chill clinging persistently to the day and the image of that wall of enticing dried chilies in my head, the menu mad-lib ended up looking like this: I feel like making something that will make me feel warm and smell like meat and spice and use up some tomatoes with a side of white rice and salad and I want to braise it in my cheerfully green Dutch oven.
Bittman gave me the recipe and the grocerette practically gave me the chilies at $2 for a big bag of 12.

Lamb Shanks with Pasilla Chili Sauce
by Mark Bittman 


1 - tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 - lamb shanks, about 1 pound each
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 - cups sliced onion
2 - cups chopped tomato (drained canned is fine)
2 - cloves garlic + 1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 - tablespoon fresh marjoram or oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 - cup chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
1 - teaspoon ground cumin

1. Soak 3 to 5 pasilla or other mild dried red chilies in hot water to cover until soft, about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, put the oil in a large pot with a lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  When hot add the shanks and brown on all sides, sprinkling with salt and pepper as they cook.  Remove the lamb and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.  Add the onion and 1 cup of the tomato and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and onions are golden, about 10 minutes.  Transfer the onion mixture to a food processor.  Drain the chilies, reserving the soaking liquid, and tear them into pieces while removing their stems and seeds.  Add the chilies to the processor along with 2 cloves garlic and puree, adding the chili liquid as necessary to get a smooth paste.
2. Add the minced garlic and marjoram to the Dutch oven and cook for a minute, then add the stock,  the chili puree, and remaining cup chopped tomato.  Sprinkle in salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon ground cumin.  Return the lamb shanks to the pan, turn them once or twice, cover, and turn the heat to low.
3. Cook for 30 minutes and turn the shanks.  Continue to cook for at least another hour, turning occasionally, until the shanks are very tender (a toothpick inserted into them will meet little resistance) and the meat is nearly falling from the bone.