Recipe: Favorite Meat Loaf (Marie Simmons)

FAVORITE MEAT LOAF

1 cup milk (use low-fat or skim milk, if preferred)
1/2 cup plain fine dry bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed thru a press
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 pound lean ground pork
1/4 pound ground veal
1 cup coarsely-shredded carrots
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste, (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard, for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the milk, bread crumbs, and egg; set aside while preparing the other ingredients.

In a small skillet, combine the onion and oil and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic until blended. Add the curry and ginger; stir to blend. Remove from the heat.

Add the onion mixture to the bowl with the bread crumbs. Add the meats, carrots, 1 teaspoon of the mustard, anchovy paste (if using), salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands until blended. Transfer to a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan or a shallow 9-inch baking dish. Smooth the top with a spatula. Spread the remaining 1 tablespoon of mustard over the surface of the meat loaf.

Bake until the juices run clear when the meat loaf is pierced with a skewer. The loaf pan will take 1 hour 30 minutes; the baking dish, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let stand for at least 15 minutes to allow the meat loaf to reabsorb the juices before slicing and serving.

Servings: 8
Source: Fresh and Fast by Marie Simmons