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Moist, Crispy Meatloaf Baked in a Brown Paper Bag

Justin Smith/flickr creative commons

Yankee Magazine food editor Amy Traverso poured through the archives going back many decades, in search of the best vintage recipes from readers. When I spotted this recipe for brown paper bag meatloaf, I knew we had to try it. And why drag out the suspense? We loved it!

When we called senior contributor Chris Prosperi, and asked him to make it, he didn't have a brown paper bag on hand, but he took Amy's advice. Chris did the meatloaf per the simple instructions, wrapping the loaf in buttered parchment paper instead. Amy says brown paper or parchment both produce the same wonderful results. And she's right. The meatloaf has fantastic flavor and texture -- crispy on the outside, moist on the inside.

Fair warning, I say make enough for meatloaf sandwiches the next day. You're going to want them.

Our special thanks to Yankee, and Amy Traverso, editor of Lost and Vintage Recipes.

INGREDIENTS

1¼ pounds ground beef
¾ pound ground pork
2 large eggs
1 medium-size yellow onion, finely chopped
1 medium-size green pepper, finely chopped
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
1 ¾ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and use clean hands to gently toss them together until evenly mixed.
  2. Lay a piece of parchment approximately 18x13 inches into a rimmed baking sheet, and turn the meat mixture onto the paper. Shape into a rounded loaf; then wrap completely in parchment to form a neat package, tucking the ends underneath. 
  3. Transfer the loaf on the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the internal temperature reaches 160°, about 1 ½ hours. Let cool 10 minutes; then remove the parchment and serve.

Guilt-Free Late Night Snacking

I start prowling around 9 p.m., like a leopard in search of prey; if I'm not mindful, I can run into dangerous opportunities. I try to have some great late-night snacks at the ready, especially on weekends, when I tell myself sensibility is a fool's errand, that I deserve something delightful. And this is why I'd like to salute Fine Cooking, a national magazine based in Connecticut.

I salute them not only for their new PBS cooking show, Moveable Feast, but because they introduced me to a simple snack that makes me feel I'm getting away with delicious murder. In Fine Cooking's November/December issue, the editors explain how to make crispy kale chips with toasted lemon zest. Know this: I'm a potato chip nut, and I don't nee them after trying a bowl of these little marvels. Instead, I luxuriate in my heart-healthy late-night indulgence. And then I think about making more.

Crispy Kale Chips with Toasted Lemon Zest

Serves 4 to 6 (ha ha ha ha)                                                                                                                           

(NOTE: According to Fine Cooking, wash and dry your kale leaves well in advance of roasting to ensure that they are completely dry. Serve these highly snack-able chips in a wide, shallow dish, or cool at room temperature in a single layer so they don't steam and become soggy. Either way, serve soon after roasting.)

INGREDIENTS

9 to 11 oz. mature curly kale, trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 large lemons)
Kosher salt                                                                         

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375° degrees F.
  2. Pile the kale on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the kale and then season very lightly with salt.
  3. Spread the kale evenly on the baking sheet and roast until it has begun to steam and dry out around the edges of the leaves, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, toss the kale, keeping it evenly distributed, and rotate the baking sheet to ensure even cooking. Continue to roast until the kale is dark green and shatteringly crisp, 7 to 10 minutes more. Some of the edges may begin to brown.

Serve hot or at room temperature soon after roasting.
(I love salt, so I add more than the recipe recommends.)  

Faith's Favorite Value Wine of the Moment:

Pierre Amadieu Cotes du Rhone
Around $13
Distributor: Eder-Goodman

 

 

 


COCKTAIL

City Steam Shand-tini for Two

There is something impossibly festive about the shape of a martini glass, and I'm prone to serving non-alcoholic drinks in them for that deveil-may-care feeling. I was prepared to do that one night when I headed to the fridge for Newman's Own lemonade, until I remembered what the folks at City Steam Brewery created.

At the Food Schmooze Martini Competition last June, City Steam offered its Shand-tini, and it rocks. It's also easy to make, which is my cocktail cardinal rule.

My special thanks to the folks at Connecticut's City Steam, where they make very good beer, and this observation...beer in a martini glass...a revelation!

  1. Chill a couple of martini glasses if you have the time; otherwise it's okay.
  2. Fill a pint glass halfway up with ice, and add 3 oz. Blonde on Blonde City Steam Pale Ale; 1 oz. St. Germaine Elderflower liquer; 3 oz. fresh lemonade (or a container version that tastes real.)
  3. Stir a few times gently, but DO NOT SHAKE.
  4. Strain into 2 martini glasses, chilled if possible.

Join the conversation by email, on Twitter, or on Facebook.

GUESTS:

  • Chris Prosperi - senior contributor and chef/owner, Metro Bis, Simsbury
  • Amy Traverso - senior lifestyle editor at Yankee Magazine and editor of Lost and Vintage Recipes
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Lori Connecticut Public's Morning Edition host.
Jonathan is a producer for ‘The Colin McEnroe Show.’ His work has been heard nationally on NPR and locally on Connecticut Public’s talk shows and news magazines. He’s as likely to host a podcast on minor league baseball as he is to cover a presidential debate almost by accident. Jonathan can be reached at jmcnicol@ctpublic.org.
For more than 25 years, the two-time Peabody Award-winning Faith Middleton Show has been widely recognized for fostering insightful, thought-provoking conversation. Faith Middleton offers her listeners some of the world's most fascinating people and subjects. The show has been inducted into the Connecticut Magazine Hall of Fame as "Best Local Talk Show".

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