Recipe: Meat Loaf with Variations (Fanny Farmer Cookbook, 1986)

MEAT LOAF

"A hearty family meal, susceptible to many variations. The second day, slice it thin and make sandwiches on rye bread with sweet pickles."

2 cups (1/2 L) freshly made bread crumbs
1 onion, chopped finely
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 pounds (900 g) ground beef
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup (1 3/4 dL) milk

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F (180). Butter a loaf pan.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl; your freshly washed hands are the best tools for the job.

Pat into the loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes.

MEAT LOAF WITH PARLEY AND TOMATO:
Omit the Worcestershire sauce and mustard; in place of the milk, use 3/4 cup of juice from a can of tomatoes and add 1/4 cup minced parsley plus 1/2 teaspoon basil, crumbled. Pat into pan and cover with 3/4 cup of the tomatoes from can, roughly chopped or 3/4 cup tomato sauce.

MEAT LOAF WITH CHEESE:
Omit Worcestershire sauce and add 1/2 cup grated cheese.

MEAT LOAF WITH BACON:
After patting the loaf into the pan, cover with 4 strips of uncooked bacon.

MEAT LOAF WITH THREE MEATS:
Instead of 2 pounds of ground beef, use 1 pound of ground beef mixed with 2/3 pound ground veal and 1/3 pound ground pork. Red wine may be used instead of milk if desired. Bake 1 hour.

INDIVIDUAL MUFFIN-SIZE MEAT LOAVES:
Instead of using a loaf pan, pack the meat into muffin tins or pyrex baking cups, top each with a square of bacon, and bake for only 25 minutes at 400 F (205 C). Turn out and serve with tomato sauce.

Source: Fanny Farmer Cookbook 1986