Well, So Much For the 4th of July

Done and gone.  Let us move forward anyhow.

Richie's continued perusal of cook books has brought me at least a lovely surprise.  An edible meat loaf.  When we first married, Richie apparently missed his mother's version of meat loaf which, to be honest about this, was terrible.  It was tough, chewy (in the wrong way) and her "sauce" was a lavish spread of catsup across the top of the ready-for-the oven meat loaf.  After enduring this torture for at least a year (and refusing to eat it) he finally relented and quit making it.

When he waved the following in my face, I said, "Go for it" and am glad I did.  it is excellent!

He's modified it somewhat and I will present both versions for you to do as you will.  It's from a book called "Celebrate Chicago - A Taste of Our Town."

AMAZING MEATLOAF

1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms soaking in 1.4 cup hot water.  The hell with this; he used 1/4 cup of sliced white mushrooms.  The liquid in the loaf will easily cook them.

1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion but you could use red.  A white onion will give you more than you want of "onion."
1 teas. minced garlic
1 T olive oil for sautéing
1 egg
1/2 cup catsup - we don't keep ketchup so he used La Victoria Salsa Brava.  Marked "hot" on the label, but isn't.
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teas. hot pepper sauce (Hah!  beat'cha to it, recipe)
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs (Panko!)
1 teas. thyme
1 teas. sage
1/2 teas. marjoram
1 teas. pepper


Saute the carrots, mushrooms, onion and garlic in the olive oil.  Set aside.

Beat up the egg with the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and dried seasonings and put this in with the raw beef beef in a bowl.  Then stir in the sautéed vegetables to the meat, mix well, put it in a meatloaf pan and bake at 375 for one hour.

It's excellent - moist and flavorful.