Recipes #1: Not your Mom's Meatloaf

I’d earmarked this meatloaf roll I’d seen on the Phantom Gourmet a few weeks back, and intended to test it sometime before next Christmas (as it looked, and sounded) good enough to serve then – I mean, c’mon Bacon wrapped meat – not a tough sell, even with spinach inside.

Their recipe, courtesy of McIntosh College, called for 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 Ground pork. Previously on Good Eats I recalled Alton Brown suggesting a 1/3 mix of Beef, pork and Lamb… but still being somewhat vegetarian, I knew I’d still stick with turkey regardless, but when I saw the sign for fresh ground dark meat turkey, I knew this was what I needed.

It went together pretty easily, even considering I altered it somewhat by making my own breadcrumbs (have you looked at the ridiculously long ingredients list on a package of breadcrumbs?), sauteeing down some baby spinach and harvesting my own herbs from the hydroponic herb garden I got for Christmas. (Ok, that still doesn’t really sound like extra work – I still only got one bowl, cutting board and knife dirty in the process of prep).

Looks good, smells like bacon wrapped goodness (yes that was turkey too), and even though I’d overcooked it by at least 10 degrees, It was moist, juicy and delicious.

Not Your Mom’s Meatloaf
By McIntosh College Chef Michael Ciuffetti, CEC with culinary student Kelly Eddinger

1/2 pound bacon slices
1/2 pound ground beef (1)
1/2 pound ground pork (1)
2 eggs
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs (2)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons mint – chopped
1/2 tablespoon garlic – minced
1 teaspoon salt and pepper — as needed
2 tablespoons parsley – minced
4 ounces prosciutto — sliced thin
4 ounces mozzarella cheese
4 ounces roasted red pepper – sliced
10 ounces spinach — cooked and drained (3)

Prepare the meat loaf mix:
Combine beef, pork, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, mint, garlic and seasoning. Combine to form a smooth mix.

Lay out plastic wrap 24 inches by 24 inches. Lay slices of bacon side by side along the top of plastic wrap.

Spread the meatloaf mix on the bottom of the bacon. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on meat loaf mix then slices of prosciutto.
Sprinkle more cheese on top of the prosciutto. Spread the cooked spinach along the prosciutto slices. Arrange the pepper slices along the spinach. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll up the meat loaf into a spiral and wrap with the bacon. Use plastic wrap to wrap the log nice and tight. Season with black pepper.

Place on a greased baking pan and bake in a 350 degree oven to an internal temperature of 145 degrees about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest 10 minutes

Slice into 12 slices.
Great with a fresh tomato sauce.

(1.) I susbstituted 1# of Ground Dark Meat Turkey (if have only White, take a tip or two from the seasonings in These Burgers
(2.) or bust up 1 1/2 slices of dried out toast in the food processor, and add some basil, oregano and parsley in lieu of all the additives (and sugars) in commercial bread crumbs
(3.) a large 7 oz. tub of baby spinach leaves, sauteed with a little olive or grapeseed oil sure beats the frozen stuff they tried to give us in grade school.

-- southern NH. - smack dab in the middle of 5a and 5b - with lots of shade and full sun, in all the wrong places.