Meatloaf27 September 2005 Occasionally when my sons were small, my work would take me out of town and The Spouse would be left in charge of domestic duties. I returned from one week-long trip away to be greeted by two very enthusiastic little red-heads. They’d had a great time in my absence. But best of all, they confided, “we had good dinners”. I waited for tales of takeaways. But no, Dad had done the cooking. Wonderful stuff like sausages, lamb chops, hamburgers, spaghetti bolognaise. And none of your broccoli, Brussels sprouts, pumpkin or eggplant. Just “yummy” frozen peas and mashed potato and the occasional carrot. You can knock yourself out providing the family with well-balanced meals, plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit, low fat dishes and food that hasn’t been processed to death. But it’s always good to bring out an old family favourite that has the troops lining up for seconds. My lads were very keen on meatloaf, particularly with mashed potatoes whipped up with a little finely chopped raw red onion and maybe even “yummy” peas. It’s an easy dish to put together and you can ring the changes with your own flavourings. You might want to experiment with Indian spices, Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flavours. For this dish I used some a commercially made pasta flavouring mix made of dried eggplant, tomato, paprika, parsley and garlic which I soaked in water before draining and adding to the meatloaf ingredients. An alternative would be fresh or dried herbs and sun-dried tomatoes. Meatloaf
Place all ingredients in a large plastic bag and squeeze well to combine. Oil a loaf pan and spoon in the mix. Bake for 60 minutes in a pre-heated 180C oven. After 50 minutes, spread some chutney of your choice over the top and bake a further 10 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving it in thick slices with the vegetables of your choice, or have it with a tossed salad and some jacket-baked potatoes.
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750g
lean minced beef| ©2000-2011 Pat Churchill