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meatloaf variations
Aug. 21st, 2004 03:29 pm1) It has been way too long since I've cooked. Not in the sense of "since I've cooked anything elaborate." In the sense of more than a week since I turned on the oven for toast, and weeks before that for turning it on at all (Part of that is heat, but not all.) But now, I have achieved meatloaf! (Technically, I achieved meatloaf Thursday night. But I only found time to write about it now, over a cold meatloaf sandwich. Yum.)
2) Onion powder tastes different than dehydrated onion flakes, or actual minced onions mixed into a dish. It's not just a texture thing - they taste different. My guess would be that the powder oxidizes more. Or maybe that they preserve the expletive out of it. Ideas? I discovered I prefer the taste of the powder, at least in meatloaf.
3) I think of basic meatloaf as ground meat, breadcrumbs (or substitute), and egg...it needs something to flavor and moisten it, and the flavoring agent often stretches the meat more interestingly than the breadcrumbs. For the last few years, I've been using a mix of grated carrot, minced onion, dijon mustard, and a can of tomato paste (along with some non-structural additions like a little dried rosemary.) It's good, but it's more trouble than it's really worth considering this meatloaf ends up a little too sweet and moist for my tastes.
4) This week, I replaced all the vegetables with bought hummus. I really like the way the texture and the combination of flavors, and I'll be making it again.
About a cup of extra-garlic hummus to 2.7 lbs of ground meat (turkey and beef), a cup bread crumbs, 3 medium eggs, tablespoon onion powder, and 2-3 tablespoons mustard. It made 1 loaf and 12 meat-muffins.
2) Onion powder tastes different than dehydrated onion flakes, or actual minced onions mixed into a dish. It's not just a texture thing - they taste different. My guess would be that the powder oxidizes more. Or maybe that they preserve the expletive out of it. Ideas? I discovered I prefer the taste of the powder, at least in meatloaf.
3) I think of basic meatloaf as ground meat, breadcrumbs (or substitute), and egg...it needs something to flavor and moisten it, and the flavoring agent often stretches the meat more interestingly than the breadcrumbs. For the last few years, I've been using a mix of grated carrot, minced onion, dijon mustard, and a can of tomato paste (along with some non-structural additions like a little dried rosemary.) It's good, but it's more trouble than it's really worth considering this meatloaf ends up a little too sweet and moist for my tastes.
4) This week, I replaced all the vegetables with bought hummus. I really like the way the texture and the combination of flavors, and I'll be making it again.
About a cup of extra-garlic hummus to 2.7 lbs of ground meat (turkey and beef), a cup bread crumbs, 3 medium eggs, tablespoon onion powder, and 2-3 tablespoons mustard. It made 1 loaf and 12 meat-muffins.
