Basil Crusted Meat Loaf with Brandy, Walnuts and Spicy Tomato Sauce

It's a slippery slope - to admit to someone that you actually like meat loaf.  It should be done with caution and only around people whom you love and trust.  (Especially if you used to be a vegan, like I was!).  It's the kind of meal that you make only for your immediate family, once it's clear that everyone approves of the concoction and only if it comes smothered in ketchup and a side of creamy mashed potatoes.  Well, I'm about to turn your world upside down and propose that you throw out that old, dated recipe and update it with this one.  (It's best to keep it to your self that the recipe calls for prunes).  But, please trust me on this, it is absolutely delicious. The basil crust and home made tomato sauce put this over the top.  I served it with a large side of sauteed kale and mustard greens, no starchy potatoes.  You will never make grandma's meat loaf again.

Note: I tried to get a good photo of this, but the combination of using an iPhone and having meat loaf as my subject, it just didn't work out!

Basil Crusted Meat Loaf with Brandy, Walnuts and Spicy Tomato Sauce

From How to Cook Meat, by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby

Serves 4- 8

Crust:

1 Bunch basil - leaves only, roughly chopped

3 TBLS olive oil

4 Garlic cloves, peeled

salt and freshly cracked pepper

2 lbs ground beef, preferably grass fed.

2 tsp minced garlic

1 small onion - peeled and grated

1/2 cup walnuts -toasted and roughly chopped

1/2 cup prunes - pitted and roughly chopped

2 eggs

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup brandy

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 TBLS salt

1 tsp pepper

Sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium onions - small dice

2 TBLS minced garlic

1 TBLS ground coriander

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup dry red wine

2 cup canned Italian crushed tomatoes, with liquid

1 bay leaf

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350*

Make the crust:

1. With food processor running, feed basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper through the feed tube - in that order.  Form a paste - do not over blend.  Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, garlic, onion, walnuts, prunes, eggs, brandy, allspice, salt and pepper.  Mix well and shape into a loaf and place in a shallow baking dish.  Spread basil paste over the meat.  Bake for about an hour, or until juices run clear when you poke a knife through it. (About 130* with a meat thermometer).

3. While meat loaf is baking, prepare the tomato sauce.  In a large saute pan, heat oil on med high heat almost until smoking and add onions, and cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until they are golden.  Add garlic, coriander, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes and stir.  Add wine and stir once or twice, allow to simmer for about 4 minutes.  Add tomatoes and bay leaf and simmer, stirring frequently until sauce has thickened to your liking, about 45 minutes.

4. Cut the meat loaf into thick slabs and serve topped with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.

Mangoes and Curry Leaves, part II

I wrote about these amazing burgers months ago. I decided to repost because now I have some beautiful photos of them. Recently, we grilled about 20 burgers for our closest friends, one of them being Yvette, my dear and talented wonder-friend. I asked her to put her burger down mid-meal and take some photos. (She's a not only an amazing photographer, but also a good sport!).
These burgers come from a great cook book, Mangoes and Curry Leaves, by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. It chronicles their travels through the great sub continent.
After making these as often as I have, I prefer to omit the yogurt that is called for in the meat mixture. I find that it makes these too moist and they are likely to fall apart on the grill. Instead, I make a yogurt cucumber sauce (raita), which works really well. To top these off, we add a simple watercress and shallot salad which we use as a condiment.

Cumin - Coriander Beef Patties
From Mangoes and Curry Leaves by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

About 1 lb best-quality lean ground beef (preferably grass fed/organic)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro or mint leaves
vegetable oil

Place meat in a bowl, add onion, ginger. cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, yogurt and vinegar. Mix well with your hands - you want a smooth texture. Add cilantro or mint and fold into meat. Form patties into an oval or round about 3/4 " thick. Place on lightly oiled plates. Grill patties over medium flame, turning after 5 minutes. Cook to desired temperature.
Serve with toasted pita bread or flat bread.















Cucumber Yogurt Sauce / Raita
1 cup Greek yogurt - plain
1 hothouse cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely diced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 radishes, finely diced
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lime

Mix together - chill until service.

Watercress and Shallot Salad
1 bunch watercress - roughly chopped
1 shallot, cut thinly
juice of 1 lime
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place watercress and shallot in large salad bowl, add lime juice and olive oil. Toss gently and serve.

Braised short ribs with bok choy

These short ribs were from a local cow to the Santa Ynez Valley. The family bought a 1/2 of a cow and it has gone a long way. I marinated these for 3 days!

MARINADE:
2 TBLS toasted sesame seeds, grind in spice grinder to a paste
1 cup soy sauce/shoyu
1/2 cup sesame oil
2 TBLS honey
2 TBLS sherry
2 TBLS minced garlic
2 TBLS minced fresh ginger
1 TBLS red pepper flakes
1 bunch scallions, chopped - use green and white parts

Marinade for 1 hour or up to 3 days

Preparation:
1 TBLS canola oil
1 TBLS butter
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 chx or beef broth
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 325*.
In a large saute pan, heat 1 TBLS canola oil and sear each rib for about 5 min each side. (Be sure to have seasoned each side with salt a pepper.) It should get a nice carmilized color on it. Set aside.
In another saute pan, heat butter and saute onion and garlic on med-low until soft. Be careful to not burn garlic. Add wine and let reduce to half, add broth and allow to reduce by half. Place ribs in roasting pan and cover with above ingredients. Cover tightly with foil and allow to cook for 2-3 hours. The meat should be falling off the bone.
Seves 4 - 6.

BOK CHOY
3 heads bok choy - cleaned and cut in half, length-wise
1 TBLS canola oil
salt and pepper

In a large saute pan, heat oil. Add bok choy and season with salt and pepper. Saute on med-high heat until it becomes limp, about 7 minutes. You may want to add 1 TBLS water to help it cook down. It may help to do this in batches.