Meat Loaf with Blue Cheese Filling

As you are accustomed by now, after the translation of the recipe in Romanian, comes the original English one. This is a personal’s Josceline Dimbleby’s variation of the American type of meat loaf from her book “Marvellous Meals with Mince”, 1982. She recommends to try it with baked potatoes, cooked in the oven at the same time, and a green salad or baby carrots. Or all at the same time, I say. You can also check her other recipes I followed, such as beef and anchovy meatballs with soured cream , cheesy fish cakes with spring onions , mousaka with Gruyère cheese . In Romania there is something similar to this recipe, called “drob” and it has a whole egg inside, plus it is made with lamb meat. For a variation, you can follow this traditional drob , but please use Google translate or any other app for translating because it is in Romanian. I chose this recipe over other as I find it very easy to follow and I also learn some interesting facts, too, that are said the way I understand and like. 🙂

Meat Loaf with Blue Cheese Filling

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 450 g/ 1 lb beef mince (please buy good quality beef and mince it at home or at the shop, if you want to)
• 75 g/ 3 oz finely chopped mushrooms
• 50 g/ 2 oz fresh breadcrumbs
• 100 g/ 4 oz streaky bacon, chopped finely
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 tsp/ 5 ml oregano or thyme
• 3 tbsp / 3×15 ml tomato ketchup (the book mentions this but I find it hard to believe, though I may be wrong too, that it is the ketchup we know today  and it might be the tomato juice with pulp made at home or bought)
• 1 large egg (size 1-2), beaten
• salt and black pepper

For the filling:

• 100 g/ 4 oz Danish blue cheese (you can replace with any other blue cheese I guess, if you like)
• 1 tbsp/ 15 ml single cream or top of the milk (I find it hard to understand this top of the milk but probably others do)
• 1 egg, beaten
• a good pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp/ 3×15 ml tomato ketchup (same as above)
• a few sprigs of parsley, to garnish

Method:

• In a bowl mix all the ingredients (except those for the filling) together thoroughly and season well with salt and pepper. Grease a 2 lb (1 kg) loaf tin. Heat the oven to Gas Mark 4/ 180°C, 350°F.
• Spoon half the mixture into the bread tin. Crumble the cheese in a small bowl, mix well with the cream or top of the milk and beaten egg and add the cayenne pepper. Spread this on the layer of meat in the tin. Spoon the remaining meat mixture evenly on top. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour and then remove from the oven.
• Turn up the oven to Gas Mark 9/ 240°C, 475°F. Loosen the sides of the loaf with a knife and turn it out very gently on to an ovenproof serving dish. Smear the loaf all over with the tomato ketchup and put back into the oven, cooking for 10-15 minutes. Serve garnished with sprigs of parsley.

Enjoy your meal!

Elena G

In a Hurry?

If you are in a hurry but still want to impress someone special or your friends, here is a recipe that it is both delicious and easy to make: liver Stroganoff. The book I found the recipe in, is titled how else but “Cooking in a Hurry” by Anne Ager, published in 1980. In those times I guess it was still kind of boring to stay in the kitchen and just cook, one wanted to live her/his life too. In Romania it was a way of life cooking not for your family but organising festive meals for the entire clan. I speak for myself because I have seen my mom many times doing that during a year and my sister and I had to help too. It was fun for us but if I put myself in her shoes I guess it was not that fun. I know I wouldn’t do that but occasionally. Well, if my mom had known this recipes she would’ve got away with it easily. Joking. 🙂

Though I made this recipe just once, a few years ago, I loved it and I thought to share it with you. So here it is.

Liver Stroganoff

Preparation and cooking time : 25 min

Ingredients:

• 750 g (1 1/2 lb) calf’s or lamb’s liver, cut into strips, 5 mm (1/4 inch) thick
• seasoned flour
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 50 g (2 oz) butter (80-82% fat please)
• 100 g (4 oz) button mushrooms, sliced
• 6X15 ml spoons (tbsp) dry sherry (if you don’t have sherry, don’t worry now, try to make sure you have for some time in the future, there are plenty of recipes with sherry)
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 150 ml (1/4 pint) soured cream

Method:

• Dust the strips of liver in seasoned flour, then shake off any surplus flour.
• Fry the onion gently in the butter for 2 minutes in a shallow frying pan.
• Add the liver and continue frying, stirring occasionally, until the liver begins to colour.
• Add the mushrooms and fry for a further 3 minutes. Add the sherry, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. And close the kitchen window so you take pity on your neighbours.
• Stir in the soured cream and heat through carefully, without boiling.
• Serve with boiled noodles and a salad. Do not forget to toss the noodles in butter and add some pepper, if you like.

Bon appetite!

Shepherd’s Pie

Everybody knows about Shepherd’s Pie. I hope. 😉 I really like this dish and when I have first eaten it, I didn’t know what to expect. I discovered a very tasty and homey food. It makes me smile just talking about it. That is why I have made it several times and I would do it again, on a freezing winter day. It goes very well with boiled vegetables and a red wine. And a warm heart. 🙂

Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 115 g (4 oz) mushrooms, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 500 g (1 1/4 lb) lean chuck steak, minced (ground)
• 150 ml (1/4 pt) red wine
• 150 ml (1/4 pt) beef stock (if you don’t want to use wine, just put 300 ml of beef stock  or water)
• bay leaf
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
• 675 g (1 1/2 lb) potatoes, boiled
• 25 g (1 oz) butter
• 3 tbsp hot milk
• 5 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
• salt
• pepper

Method:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan or big pan, add the onion, carrot,mushrooms  and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Stir the beef into the pan and cook, stirring to break up the lumps, until lightly browned.
• Blend a few spoonfuls of the stock or water with the flour, then stir this mixture into the pan. Stir in the remaining stock or water and wine, and bring to a simmer, stirring. Add the bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, tomato purée (paste), the cover and cook very gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover the pan towards the end of cooking to allow any excess water to evaporate, if necessary.
• Preheat the oven to 190 °C, 375 °F, Gas Mark 5.
• Put the potatoes in a pan with water, to boil, until very tender. Drain then mash with the butter, milk and seasoning.
• Add the tarragon and seasoning to the mince in the pan, then pour into a pie dish or baking dish.Top with a layer of sliced tomatoes, then an even layer of potato. Mark the top with the prongs of a fork.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Bon appetite!