Tag Archives: leftovers

Meat Loaf Bourguignon…Perfect For El Nino Weather!

Meat Loaf Bourguignon
A perfect supper for one of those El Nino nights!

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Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 large yellow onions
1-2 shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups crushed salted crackers
½ cup finely minced walnuts
2 eggs, slightly beaten
½ pound Cheddar cheese, cut in slices
Parsley sprigs
* Use the Cuisinart to chop onions, garlic, parsley, and walnuts.

IMG_0765-001Now let’s get to cookin’

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl combine onions, garlic, parsley, and mix well. Add all the dry spices, soy sauce, and Dijon mustard. Slowly pour in the red wine and crushed crackers. Add the ground beef, pork and eggs. Lastly, add the minced walnuts. Knead the mixture well to mix thoroughly.

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Try not to overwork the meat, your meatloaf will turn out tough.

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Divide the mixture in half and form each half into a compact loaf. Place the cheese on top of both loaves. Gently pinch the loaves together, leaving room for air to pass through. This allows the cheese in the middle to melt.

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When I tried this recipe for the first time, my cheese didn’t melt all the way. Of course it was still delicious! Remember to pinch together loosely.

Place in a glass Pyrex dish or a small roasting pan. Place on middle rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour. Set your timer for 30 minutes and check the meatloaf. Turn the oven to 350 degrees if you feel like the top is browning too quickly.  Ovens are super tricky and vary in heat, so use your best judgement.

Remove for the oven and let sit for about five minutes. Using a sharp knife, slice the loaf and arrange slices on a warm platter. Garnish with parsley sprigs.  Two sides that I love to serve with this dish are, roasted herb carrots and red potatoes. This recipe can easily be doubled if you have a larger family or simply want leftovers.

So get the family together on a Sunday afternoon, for some good ole’ fashioned togetherness and yummy food!
With Love and Peace in my heart,
G-

Albondigas Soup…A Witchy Weather Favorite!

This is a wonderful soup recipe that will get children to eat their vegetables!

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Ingredients

1 ½ pounds ground beef, 85% works just fine

1 cup fresh bread crumbs or store bought

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

6-8 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons minced fresh mint

3 teaspoons salt

½ cup all-purpose flour

4-6 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 green peppers, seeded and diced

3 medium yellow or sweet onions, diced

6-8 carrots, sliced

6-8 celery stalks, sliced

1 quart water

1 ½ cups red wine (optional)

2 cans chopped tomatoes or 2 cans tomato sauce

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1-2 teaspoons dried oregano

Let’s get to cookin’!  How to prepare this tasty soup:

Line a baking sheet with non-stick Reynolds wrap and set aside.

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In a large bowl combine the ground beef, broken into bits with a fork, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, 3 crushed cloves garlic, mint leaves, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Mix the ingredients with a fork or your hands.

Lil Chef Making Meatballs!

Lil Chef Making Meatballs!

Form the meatball mixture into balls about 2 inches in diameter. Roll each ball lightly in the flour and set on the baking sheet.  In a large sauce pan cover the bottom of pan with olive oil.  Brown the meatballs over moderate heat for about 10-12 minutes.  Remove the meatballs and set aside.

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Remove some of the meatball drippings out of the saucepan and throw away. Brown the remaining crushed garlic in saucepan.  Sauté the green pepper, onions, carrots and celery for about 8-10 minutes.

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In a large stockpot add the water, tomatoes or tomato sauce and stir together until mixed. Add the red wine, vinegar, sugar and dried oregano and mix well.

Slowly add the meatballs to the soup mixture. Mix all the ingredients together well.  Cover the skillet and simmer the soup for 1 ½ – 2 hours.  The longer the soup cooks the better the flavor!

You can use pre-made bread crumbs or make your own. I use fresh bread crumbs whenever possible.

Give it a try…make your own bread crumbs:

Take 4-5 slices of fresh bread and remove crusts. Cut bread slice in half.  Using your hands crumble the bread slices into a medium size bowl.  That’s all, pretty simple!

I love to serve warm tortillas, buttered if desired, as a side dish. A fresh green salad also works wonderfully here.  Don’t forget the fresh vegetables for salad toppings.  This soup also makes for great leftovers.  Single moms, freeze the leftover soup and take out when you have “One of Those Days!”  You’ll be glad you did!

The red wine gives this Albondigas soup a very gourmet taste.  If entertaining for adult guests, I would definitely add the red wine.  Some children may not like the wine flavor as much so add a tad more water, if you choose to omit the wine.

Happy Cooking Friends!

Cozy nights call for yummy soup!

Cozy nights call for yummy soup!

Yours Truly with Love and Peace in my Heart,

G-