Tag: Italian parsley

Prison-Style Meatloaf – How to Stretch Your Meat Further

The main point of this prison-style meatloaf video is to show you what happens when you make meatloaf like your grandparents did. And no, I’m not accusing your relatives of spending time in the joint. During the Great Depression this type of dish was a popular strategy for stretching what little meat you had, into as filling a meal as possible.

As times got better, people went back to meatier versions, and now only low-budget, high-volume food service operations feature this culinary dinosaur. I did an Italian meatball-inspired version, which was quite nice, but this method will work with virtually any meatloaf recipe.

Most modern meatloaves call for about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of dry crumbs per two pounds of meat, and here we’re using 1 1/2 cups. It makes a significant difference in the texture, producing something much softer and moister. While not as “meaty,” this does make for an interesting alternative to play around with. I’m looking at you, family of 10.

As I say in the video, I decided to spike my tomato sauce with too much balsamic vinegar, which rendered it not great. So, if you’re going to follow this recipe, just use a regular pasta sauce, or your favorite meatloaf glaze. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 1 giant meatloaf (about 10 large portions):

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds ground chuck

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

cayenne to taste

2 large eggs, beaten

2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (about a packed 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 1/2 cups very dry white bread crumbs (not toasted!)

1 1/2 cups milk to soak (squeeze out excess)

3 or 4 cups of tomato sauce to bake in, optional

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That Other Meat Sauce

We did a classic Italian bolognese sauce not too long ago, which reminded me that I’ve actually never posted a basic, Italian-American meat sauce. This sauce goes by many names, including Sunday sauce, since that’s the day it’s traditionally made, but for me growing up, this was just called “sauce.”

This is one of those primal recipes that always follows the same procedure, yet almost never contains exactly the same ingredients. I was raised on a blend of beef, pork, and chicken, but any and all leftover proteins can, and must, be added to the pot.

Meatballs are a great choice; as are things like pigs feet, neck bones, and other similar cuts. The tougher the meat, the better it’s going to be in this sauce. Besides playing meat roulette, I’ll also switch different herbs like basil in and out, as well as include the occasional season vegetable.

You can also vary your results here with different tomato products. I went old-school and hand-crushed whole plums, but you can also use crushed or pureed tomatoes as well. The finer and smoother the tomatoes are processed, the thicker your sauce will be, so keep that in mind. Speaking of tomatoes; yes, it is much better to caramelize the tomato paste with the onions before you add the San Marzanos, but I didn’t because Grandma didn’t, and also, I forgot.

As long as you cook the meat long enough, and season thoughtfully, there’s really no way this sauce isn’t going to be great. So, while you may not have grown up in an Italian-American home, with this comforting sauce simmering on the stove every Sunday, your family still can. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 portions:

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 beef shank

2 pounds pork ribs

2 bone-in chicken thighs

1 diced onion

6 cloves garlic

3 (28-oz) cans San Marzano plum tomatoes, crushed or blended smooth
(Note – any canned tomato product will work. Try with pureed or already crushed tomatoes and save a step)

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 cups water, more as needed

2 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

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Cold White Bean & Herb Salad – Mmm, Good Stems!

I’m showing this quick and easy white bean
and herb salad for several reasons, not the least of which is to give you a
perfectly delicious way to use up the end of that already used once bunch of
parsley or cilantro.

You told yourself you were going to add them to your next
stock, forgetting you don’t make stock, and the sheared remains end up in the
back of the vegetable crisper where they die a slow, slimy death. Well, this
may be the answer.

Both cilantro and Italian parsley have tender stems that
pretty much taste exactly like the leaves. By slicing the last half of the
bunch thinly, across the stems, you have a perfect addition to any simple, cold
bean salad. Besides herb stem recover and utilization, this recipe deserves to
be in the rotation for two other very good reasons. It only takes like five
minutes to makes, and goes beautifully with any and all of the traditional
grilled or barbecued summer meats.

This video also reminds me that you wannabe food snobs need
to stop making fun of people that don’t like cilantro. For about 10% of the
population, due to certain receptors on the tongue, cilantro tastes nasty,
which explains why so many people detest the stuff. The good news is that
parsley works even better, so everybody wins.

On a spice note, I used Aleppo pepper here instead of
cayenne or pepper flakes, and I hope you do the same. I only discovered this
pepper recently, and just love it. It’s hot, but not too hot, and has a bright,
fruity flavor I think you’ll really enjoy. Please note: In the video I said it
was my new favorite pepper, but I only did that to make cayenne jealous. I hope
you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

1/2 bunch (the stem end) Italian parsley or cilantro,
chopped

1 can (15-oz) white beans, rinsed and drained

3 cloves minced garlic
1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and Aleppo pepper to
taste
2 tbsp white wine or champagne vinegar (or rice vinegar if
you want it a little sweeter)
3 tbsp olive oil

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https://gordon-ramsay-recipe com/preparation/cold-white-bean-herb-salad-mmm-good-stems html