Summer Meatloaf

I know I'm ready for the change of seasons because it rained this weekend and I was more than happy to pop on my slippers and favorite cozy sweater.  I can also tell I'm ready because my food cravings are changing.  I'm ready to spend hours cooking comfort foods.  Every time I start to think about what I'm going to make for my next meal, warm, hearty dishes my mom would make for me as a child come to mind.


The other night, I got an inkling for meatloaf.  While it rained this weekend, the night I decided to make said meatloaf it was 85 degrees outside.  I had never made a meatloaf before.  Had I known better, I would have made the decision to start defrosting the beef much earlier than 7:30.  Needless to say, it took hours!  It was totally worth it, and I don't mind eating late, so it all worked out in the end.

Since I had no idea what I was doing, I also had no idea how to make a gravy out of the drippings.  Later, when I recalled this adventure to my mom, she very gently laughed at me and then explained how it's done.  That's later though - I'll explain in an upcoming blog post when I put it to good use.


For now, I'll just get to it.  Here is my take on meatloaf!


Garden Meatloaf with Caramelized Onions and Mushroom Gravy over Pasta
(See, I told you I was into comfort food lately.)
Makes one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf


Ingredients:

1 16 oz box of organic Casarecce pasta
 
Meatloaf:
1 lb organic grass-fed ground beef
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 stalk of celery
1 small yellow onion
2 green onions
3 cloves of garlic
2-3 tablespoons curry ketchup
1 egg
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Gravy:
3-4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 large yellow onion
5-6 crimini mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic
2 cups of chicken stalk
3-4 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste


Preparation:


Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.


Begin by finely chopping the celery, yellow and green onion, and garlic.  Place in a big mixing bowl with the breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper.  Give it a good toss.  

Add the ground beef, curry ketchup, lightly beaten egg, and olive oil.  Roll up your sleeves and dig in.  Mixing with your hands will provide the best manner of combining everything without over-mixing, which will make the meat tough.  Transfer to the loaf pan and place in the oven.  It will take about an hour to cook.

Next begin the gravy, and yes, right away.  Caramelizing onions can take 30 - 45 minutes.  Start with 3 tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan on medium-low heat.  Let it get all melty and enjoy the smell for a minute.  Add the onion, roughly sliced or copped and sprinkle with a few generous pinches of sea salt. 

Cover and wait, stirring every few minutes.  The onions will begin to release their juices after 5-10 minutes.  Then they will slowly reduce, turn a lovely caramel color and sweeten over the next 20-30 minutes.  The onions should never reach more than a slight simmer in the pan, cooking them slowly is the key.  When the onions are done, remove them from the pan and set aside, leaving any liquid behind.


Add another tablespoon of butter to the same pan and the roughly chopped crimini mushrooms.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper and let the reduce over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.  When the mushrooms are cooked, remove them from the pan and set aside, again leaving any liquid behind.


Add the chicken stalk to the pan and whisk to mix with the reserved liquids from the onions and mushrooms.  Turn the heat up to medium and let the mixture come to a gentle boil.  Once it begins to boil, add the flour 1 tablespoon at at time until the desired consistency is reached.  Give the gravy a few minutes between flour additions to thicken a bit so you don't add too much.


Once the desired thickness is reached, add the cooked onions and mushrooms.  Salt and pepper to taste.


Meanwhile, in a large sauce pan, bring salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook as directed on the package.

When everything is done, layer the noodles, meatloaf, and gravy.  Head outside to enjoy the late summer breezes and eat a well-deserved meal!

Tips:


Many people get frustrated by meat.  It goes bad too quickly in the fridge, but is a pain to defrost from the freezer without ruining it.  Here is a tip from the pro's - and no I don't think I'm a pro, this is how health and food safety classes teach employees to defrost meat in restaurants - hot water.  It takes longer than defrosting something in the microwave, but it preserves the quality of the meat much better.  You won't end up with weird, rubbery pieces.  Place the frozen meat in a plastic, sealable bag.  Fill the sink, or a bowl, with very hot water and place the bag in the water.  Change out the water as it cools until the meat is defrosted.  It can take anywhere from 20 min - 1 hour depending on the amount and thickness of the meat, so think about this step early on.

I would start the water for the noodles after the onions are done caramelizing.  This way meatloaf, gravy, and noodles should all come out at about the same time.

Curry ketchup!  What is curry ketchup?  Only the most amazing ketchup ever!  It is exactly what it sounds like, a blend of curry and ketchup, but the result is delicious.  It is sweet, tangy, and savory all a the same time.  You can pick up curry ketchup at most grocery stores and German-style markets.  Seriously, you are going to love this stuff.

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

I had stuffed zucchini blossoms once at a restaurant.  This was years ago.  I don't know what made me think that I could replicate the delicate taste, but when I saw some blossoms for sale at a local farmer's market, I couldn't help myself.  I purchased five blossoms and began thinking of ways to make them tasty.  This recipe could be changed in a million different ways, but I think the key is to use a cheese that melts.  It gives the zucchini blossoms a more savory texture.

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Makes enough for two people

Ingredients:

5 fresh zucchini blossoms

1/2 cup of your favorite cheese (goat cheese, cream cheese, ricotta, fresh mozzarella, etc.)

1/2 small zucchini

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

1/2 cup of flour

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

Preparation:

Begin by making the stuffing.  Chop the zucchini into very small pieces.  This stuffing will need to fit into the zucchini blossoms, and they are not very big.  In a small bowl, combine the cheese, chopped zucchini, salt, and pepper. 

Take the blossom, and delicately open it.  They have a sort of natural seam and you should be able to open them fairly easily.  Remove the yellow/orange stamen from the inside of the flower.  Holding the blossom open with one hand, begin stuffing it.  You can pack a good amount of stuffing into the blossom, but don't fill above the natural cup line.  This will help to keep the stuffing from escaping while the blossoms bake.  Re-twist the blossom so it resembles its original structure and secure with a toothpick.

In 3 separate bowls, place the lightly beaten egg, flour, and bread crumbs.  Dredge each blossom through the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs respectively until well coated.  Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, turning the blossoms once or twice.

Invite your friends to eat and enjoy!

Farmer's Market Fruit Salad

One of my favorite parts of summer is the farmer's markets that pop up all over the city.  You can find a little street or parking lot blocked off and full of beautiful fruit almost any day of the week throughout the summer months.  One Sunday morning on our way home from yoga, my sister and I passed the West St. Farmer's Market and couldn't help but stop to browse.  Browsing, of course, led to purchasing and we came home with some lovely peaches and berries.  Almost immediately after walking in the door I was in the kitchen whipping up this super simple fruit salad.

Berry Salad with Orange Dressing

Make 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 4 oz package of raspberries

1 4 oz package of white raspberries

1 4 oz package of strawberries

1 orange

1 handful of fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon raw sugar

Preparation:

Rinse all berries and let dry a bit.  Slice the strawberries into bite size pieces so that they are roughly the size of the raspberries.  Place all berries in a bowl.

Take the orange and rub it between your hand and the counter a few times.  This helps to loosen the juices before slicing it open.  Squeeze half of the orange into a separate, smaller bowl. Roughly chop the mint.  Add the mint and sugar to the bowl and whisk to emulsify.  Add the orange dressing to the berries and toss to coat.

Recipes for Your Percolator

Are you wondering why I would write a post about espresso and then not bother to give you any recipe ideas? I mean espresso, on its own, without any "extras" is intense. It can be a small, tasty treat from time to time, but all the time is a bit much.

I would say espresso is best enjoyed after a large meal when your tummy is looking for something to help it settle into the post-consumption phase. More often espresso is appropriate for mixing with other ingredients to create a coffee drink. Here are some of my favorite, easy to make at home recipes.

Cafe con Leche

This simple drink is the reason I purchased a percolator in the first place. Growing up in the US I was used to large (trust me a 20 oz drink is very, very large on a global scale), sweet, mostly milk, coffee drinks. When I moved to Spain for a semester in college, I felt deprived. No where in Madrid served a 20 oz coffee of any sort. The first time I asked for a coffee para llevar, the middle aged man behind the counter laughed at me. They don't take coffee to go in Spain. You stand with your 2 oz beverage at the counter and drink it from a little glass cup.

It took me a while to get used to the idea of standing around drinking coffee, but once I understood the point of it, I was hooked. The point, to Spaniards, is that drinking coffee is an experience. You enjoy the coffee, chat with other patrons, and take a moment to stop and breathe. How nice!

When I returned to the US, I again felt deprived. I couldn't figure out how to get my regular haunts to make a cafe con leche for me. Any combination I could think of would fall short of the real thing. I didn't get it. How hard could it be - 1/2 espresso, 1/2 milk?

The trick, I learned, was that I was over-thinking it. A cafe con leche is a simple drink made from 1 part espresso and 1 part warmed milk. I think the milk is the key. It's not steamed milk, it's warmed milk. They would use an electric burner at the cafes in Spain.

So, I started thinking hard about how to recreate this drink at home. I remembered that every home in Spain had a percolator. Unlike an expensive espresso machine (you have to buy a super pricey one to make anything decent), the percolator could be purchased for $30, is easy to clean, and makes quality espresso. And ta-dah, that leads us to my previous post...Coffee is amazing!

Now the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 freshly brewed batch of stove-top (or electric) espresso

1-2 oz of 2% organic milk

Preparation:

Warm the milk on the stove, or, if your lazy like me, in the microwave for 15 seconds. Pour 1-2 oz of the espresso into the milk. Stir. Smell. Enjoy.

Americano

This is a classic that can be found in any local coffee shop. It is most similar to a regular cup of drip coffee. It is basically a mix of espresso with hot water, and is most often how I enjoy my morning pick-me-up.

Ingredients:

1 freshly brewed batch of stove-top espresso

Hot water

Organic dairy addition of preference

Preparation:

Prepare espresso and boil water in a kettle. When both are ready, mix equal parts espresso and hot water in your favorite mug. Add milk, cream, or leche de agua (this is what my Hispanic friends call skim milk, I think it's an astute label).

The espresso-to-water ratio honestly depends on your preference. More water = weaker coffee. Less water = stronger coffee.

Lattes and Cappuccinos

Ok, so you have, have, have to have foam on your coffee drinks. Fine. You can do that at home too, and again without an expensive espresso machine. Using an electric milk frother, you can get crazy in your own kitchen. These handy little devices are available from $15 - $100. I'd say don't spend more than $30, it would be totally unnecessary. They will whip up some lovely foam in no time at all. I don't personally own one, but I've seen them in action and they work really well.

Ingredients:

1 freshly brewed batch of stove-top espresso

Organic milk of your preference

Preparation:

Brew coffee. Warm milk on the stove or in the microwave until hot. In a glass or metal container froth the milk until foam develops. Using 1 oz of espresso for every 1 shot you would usually order at a cafe, pour the non-foamy milk from the bottom of the container into the espresso first, then top with foam.

The main difference between a latte and a cappuccino is the amount of foam. Lattes are mostly milk with a little bit of foam, cappuccinos are mostly foam with a little bit of milk.

So there ya go! I hope this brings many pleasant coffee experiences your way. And do as the Spaniards do...take time to breathe and enjoy your coffee and your life.

Coffee is amazing!

I don't know about you, but I really don't like waking up in the morning. Some people jump out of bed ready to greet the day. I tend to roll out sideways, stub my toe on the dresser, curse myself for not going to bed earlier and then walk blindly into the kitchen on the hunt for one thing...coffee.

I am fully willing to admit that I am a coffee snob. I've spent most of my young-adult life working as a barista. I even spent some time serving Joe in Seattle, where I transformed from a coffee brat to a full-blown snob. I think that a cup of coffee can make or break your day. A quality cup will leave you feeling satisfied and ready to go. A crappy cup will leave you jittery and wanting more.

I'm on a budget so I can't afford to buy coffee from a cafe, making my wantonness for quality coffee a challenge. As it turns out I don't have to outsource my coffee, I can make quality espresso at home without an expensive machine. This is a trick I picked up while living in Europe and I'd venture to say it's improved my quality of life. Yeah, that's a ridiculous statement, but I stand behind it...

The Percolator!
The 6-cup size makes 6 shots of espresso which equals roughly 2 cups of coffee.

Step 1 - Grind it! Don't skip this step by using pre-ground coffee. Grinding coffee beans right before you use it enhances flavor and caffeine. Plus it smells amazing! Percolators have a basket that holds the coffee and water boils up from the bottom, through the coffee, through another screen and then into the "holding chamber". You want your coffee to be at a medium-fine grind - similar to the texture of sea salt. If the grind is too fine, coffee grounds will seep through the screens and into your coffee - ick. If the grind is too course, the water will pass through the basket without gathering enough flavor and your coffee will be watery - double ick.



Step 2 - Fill the bottom chamber with water. There should be a fill line on the inside of the bottom chamber. Fill to this line, no more, no less. Oh, and use cold water! It makes boiling take longer and flavor taste better.



Step 3 - Fill the basket with ground coffee. Fill it to the top, but don't compress it or flatten.



Steps 4, 5 and 6 - Place the basket in the bottom chamber, screw the top chamber on tightly and turn the stove on high.



Step 7 - Let the percolator do its thing. It will begin to make a boiling sound, don't panic. Wait until the sound stops and that is how you know it's done!
Tips:

Look for organic, fair-trade coffee, from a local company if possible. This promotes a healthy earth and more economic stability on a local and international scale. The coffee may be a bit more pricey, but you will need less of it since the percolator only uses a small amount per brew.
Espresso is a stronger blend then other coffee beans and roasts. You can use an espresso roast or a regular roast (like a French roast) depending on the amount of caffeine you are looking for.
Learn to enjoy your coffee. As with eating meals, if you can make drinking coffee a pleasant treat for your senses you will find you need less of it.

My favorite brand of percolator is the Biaetti Moka Express. This particular product comes in a variety of sizes and there is a stove-top option as well as an electric counter-top option.