My Favorite Meatloaf Recipe

Sometimes a recipe comes along that is so wonderful that it spoils you from making any other way, no matter how badly you want to. I have a recipe that falls deeply into this category: meatloaf. Sounds crazy, I know, but since I adapted this recipe from the The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook using grass fed beef, pastured veal and grass fed lamb I have been forever spoiled.

It almost seems that the stars must align just right for me to have all three meats in stock at the same time. As it is impossible for me to purchase meat from the grocery store I seek out local farmers when some special occasion or another has warranted meatloaf and no other recipe will do.

At times like this though, early in the summer when the first flush of grass is waning and our animals are beoming fat enough to butcher, is when I have all three meats in abundance in the store. I make several meatloaves at one time and stock the extras away in the freezer. I cook the extra meatloaves as stated in the recipe and freeze once cooled. I reapply another 1/4 cup ketchup when I reheat.

The uniqueness of this recipe is that the grass fed lamb gives this meatloaf such a wonderful, rich flavor and the pastured veal makes it tender beyond words.

Organic Cooking: Meatloaf From Grass Fed Beef, Pastured Veal, and Grass Fed Lamb

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 or 4 slices white bread
1/4 cup raw milk
1 lb. grass fed ground beef
1/2 lb. grass fed ground lamb
1/2 lb. ground pastured veal
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup ketchup

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to 350º F.In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, celery and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

Tear the bread slices into small pieces, transfer to a food processor and pulverize the bread into crumbs. In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk, stir until blended and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes.Add the onion-celery mixture to the bread mixture and stir until blended. Add the beef, lamb, veal, tomato sauce, egg, salt and pepper and fold together gently until blended.

Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2-lb. loaf pan and, using your hands, shape the mixture into an oblong loaf. Spread the ketchup evenly over the top. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat loaf registers 165ºF, about 1 1/2 hours.

Serves 4 to 6.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Humanely Raised, Pastured Veal

As the New York Times article trumpeted in "Veal to Love, Without the Guilt," there is finally a way to enjoy veal without the guilt of knowing that the meat on your plate came from an animal that lived in the most deplorable conditions practiced.

When our cow boarding program began to grow, we found ourselves with several male dairy calves and began to feel guilt of another kind. It seemed that the only option for these calves was to take them to the local livestock market, but as we began to wonder what would become of them we decided to keep them on the farm and to find a way to raise these calves under humane conditions and market them as pasture raised veal.

Continuing with our dictates that all of our animals live according to our Rules of Freedom, we began to get a clearer picture of how to raise these male calves.

We wanted to keep the calves:

Free from unnecessary fear and distress: so we ensure conditions and care that limit stress, pain, injury and disease including rapid diagnoses and treatment;

Free of hunger and thirst: so we give the calves ready access to fresh water and a diet that maintains full health and vigor;

Free from unnecessary discomfort: so we provide an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area, sufficient space and proper facilities;

Free to express normal behavior: so we provide company of the animals' own kind and raise them the old fashioned way, with their mothers, out on pasture.

You can have confidence that our veal comes from calves we raised humanely and healthily, in accordance with the rules outlined above. If you have other questions about our pastured veal or any other grass fed meat we raise, please feel free to ask us. We have all cuts available in the store and as usual we stock all cuts at the Franklin Farmer's Market.

Here is one of my favorite recipes for pastured veal chops from the Williams-Sonoma cookbook, On the Grill: Adventures in Fire and Smoke.

Wood-grilled pastured veal chops are perfect fare for special occasions. Here the delicate flavor of the veal is enhanced with a marinade of olive oil and Mediterranean herbs, then finished with a silky demi-glace. Recommended wine pairing: Merlot.

Ingredients:

1 cup red wine
1/4 cup veal demi-glace
3 fresh rosemary sprigs plus 2 Tbs. roughly chopped rosemary, plus more sprigs for garnish
3 fresh thyme sprigs plus 2 Tbs. roughly chopped thyme, plus more sprigs for garnish
1/4 cup olive oil
6 pastured veal chops, each 1 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 to 2 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions:
To make a rosemary demi-glace, in a small saucepan over high heat, combine the wine and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the demi-glace until smooth. Set the pan over low heat, add the 3 rosemary and thyme sprigs, and simmer until the mixture is reduced slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain through a sieve into another small saucepan; discard the herbs. Keep the demi-glace warm on the stovetop.

In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, chopped rosemary and thyme. Place the veal chops in a shallow dish and generously season with salt and pepper. Pour the herbed oil over the meat and turn to coat well. Cover and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill. Brush and oil the grill grate. Grill the veal chops directly over medium-high heat, turning once, until nicely grill-marked and charred, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Move the chops to indirect heat, cover, and grill until firm to the touch and cooked to your liking. Transfer the chops to a large serving platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

Rewarm the demi-glace if needed. Add the butter cubes, one at a time, whisking after each addition. Strain any accumulated meat juices into the demi-glace. Garnish the chops with rosemary and thyme sprigs and spoon the sauce over the chops, or pass the chops at the table with the sauce on the side.

Serves 6.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.