Meat loaf and the millennials

Millennials seem to be setting the standard for us in a lot of areas, from fashion to food. But I am particularly bothered that I keep reading about things that millennials won’t eat. Foods that are passé now. Many of them are my favorites. I don’t mind giving up American cheese, that plastic substitute for cheddar, and I won’t miss chain restaurants, but I will kick and scream when you tell me it’s not fashionable to eat meat loaf.

Other things on the list of foods that are “out” include chicken pot pie, mayonnaise, canned tuna, big turkeys, sloppy Joe, and an entire meal—brunch. Really? Have you had chicken pot pie made with cream cheese in the sauce? So good. And mayonnaise and canned tuna? What  do these people eat for lunch? How do you celebrate Thanksgiving without the biggest turkey you can fit into your oven? As for sloppy Joe all I can say is that the writer who made that pronouncement never had my sloppy Joe made with red wine. Even Jacob loves it. And brunch? That most delightful of meals—I’ve often found it an easy way to entertain. My menu includes sliced ham, egg casseroles, fruit salad, some good Danish, and, of course Bloody Marys. Do away with that? Never.

But the abolition of meat loaf really got me. When my kids were little, I made a lot of meat loaf. It wasn’t always popular. Megan called it “gelatinous,” a word she manages to infuse with unbelievable disdain; Colin complained that it was too much filler and not enough meat. I happily made meat loaf sandwiches with mayo the next day—see? Where would the world be without mayo? I confess in those days I rarely followed a recipe.

Somewhere along the way I discovered Hunt’s canned meat loaf fixings, and things got better. Then I found a recipe in Texas Electric Co-op magazine that had all that meatloaf should—onion, celery, ketchup, mayonnaise, I think even Worcestershire, everything but the proverbial kitchen sink. I also learned that if you shaped meat into a loaf on a larger pan, you didn’t get as much gelatinous stuff as you do if you make it in a loaf pan. I’ve never tried those special meat loaf pans with faux bottoms so the juices drain, but they might be the solution too.

I made a lamb meat loaf recently, and we loved it. I realize not everyone likes lamb, but this mixes lamb and beef, and it was really good. Here’s my take on it:

2 eggs

½ c. breadcrumbs

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground lamb

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried basil

½ c. ketchup

1 Tbsp.  Worcestershire

            Sauté the onion, garlic, thyme, and basil in olive oil.

            Use a medium bowl to beat the eggs until light and frothy. Then add the bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add the onion and garlic mixture, the ground meats, and the ketchup and Worcestershire.

The only way I know to mix meat loaf is to wash and dry your hands thoroughly and dig in, Mix until no streaks of egg show and you’re quite sure everything is blended..

Shape as you wish—either round or loaf-shaped—on a greased jelly roll pan or roasting pan, something with a lip to catch the juices.

Bake at 350^o for at least an hour, probably a little more. Let it sit to “collect itself” for ten minutes before slicing and serving. This works well in your toaster oven.