One of the best Meat Loaf Recipes.

72 Market Street Meat Loaf with Meat Loaf Gravy
Source: 72 Market St.: Dishes It Out!: A Collection of Recipes and Portraits from a Classic Venice Restaurant

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup minced green onion
3/4 cup minced white onion
1/2 cup minced carrot
1/2 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup half and half
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork sausage, with no herbs or seasonings added
3 /4 cup prepared bread crumbs
Meat Loaf Gravy (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the butter in a heavy skillet and add the green onion, white onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the moisture has evaporated. Cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, cumin, and eggs and mix well. Add the ketchup and half and half. Blend thoroughly.

Add the ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, and the vegetable mixture. It might be easier to mix this with your hands.

Grease a loaf pan and add the meat mixture, pressing it into the corners. Put the loaf pan in a larger pan filled 1-inch-high with boiling water. Cook at 350 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with Meat Loaf Gravy.

Serving Size: 6

Meat Loaf Gravy:
2 tablespoons butter
4 shallots, minced
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
Dash of crushed peppercorns
1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped yellow bell peppers
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup veal or beef stock
1 cup chicken stock
2 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
Salt and pepper

In a heavy pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter, and sauté the shallots, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, and red and yellow bell peppers over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.

Add the wine and simmer over high heat until reduced by three-fourths, to make a glaze.

Add the beef stock and chicken stock, and simmer, uncovered, over high heat until reduced by one-fourth.

Add the tomatoes and bring to a slow simmer. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Strain, discarding bay leaf and thyme before serving.

Serving Size: 10