FROM THE BOOKSHELF: Frank Bruni & Jennifer Steinhauer, A Meatloaf in Every Oven: Two Chatty Cooks, One Iconic Dish and Dozens of Recipes – from Mom’s to Mario Batali’s (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2017, 272 Pages)
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Two food loving New York Times’ journalists have teamed up to offer readers an extraordinary – and downright delicious – collection of recipes for meatloaf, one of America’s most popular comfort foods. Frank Bruni, before becoming the Times’ op-ed columnist, was the newspaper’s chief restaurant critic. Jennifer Steinhauer is a veteran correspondent, passionate home chef, and the author of the bestselling cookbook Treat Yourself.
The book contains 50 fabulous recipes ranging from simple/traditional to complex/adventurous gleaned from a variety of sources as diverse as Frank Bruni’s mother’s “nostalgic” loaf to Bobby Flay’s Korean-style meatloaf with spicy glaze to Mario Batali’s multilayered stuffed meatloaf.
But there’s more here than just meatloaf… Each of the book’s eight chapters – Classics, Around the World, Lamb, Cluck Cluck Gobble Gobble, Meatless Loaves, Guilty Pleasures, Political Postscript, and Sides – is prefaced by several pages of banter between the authors, which adds immensely to the snappy dialogue-y casual nature of the book. There are also notes on equipment and a generous introduction filled with bits of history, meatloaf philosophizing, and series of helpful tips.
The authors, for example, make passionate arguments for sautéing onions before mixing them into meatloaf batter. They also spend a good deal of time discussing the crucial role of binders – rice, bread, potatoes, breadcrumbs – that hold each loaf together. And they are not above handing down a number of rules: Hand-chopping vegetables produces a better texture than using a food processor, for instance… Meat should be almost at room temperature before supporting ingredients are added to the mix… And, finally, always use your hands instead of a spoon.
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As you would undoubtedly surmise, I do have a few favorites… Among the “Classics,” I cast my vote for Annie Miler’s Home-Style Loaf with Cheddar and Parsley, which incorporates both ground beef and pork… Among the loaves made with lamb, the Greek Loaf with Lamb & Feta, which also throws in a healthy dose of roasted pine nuts, is absolutely fabulous… When it comes to meatless possibilities, I simply can’t resist the Tuna Melt Loaf, replete with olive oil packed tuna, cannellini beans, and provolone cheese… In the guilty pleasures department, I confess to two faves. The Cheeseburger and Fries Loaf utilizes crushed potato chips to bring in a bit of French fry flavor; it also adds 1½ cup of sharp cheddar and eliminates the usual Worcestershire in favor of hearty doses of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. And the Mashed Potato Meatloaf, which blends both beef and lamb, combines two of my favorite dinner companions into one delicious package.
The final chapter of the book, “Sides,” is an incredible bonus; because, just occasionally, you may wish to supplement that delicious meatloaf with a suitable side dish. J And there are some real winners here. Helene’s Extremely Delicious Mashed Potatoes, for example, are a super-creamy, slightly tangy addictive mash spruced up with sour cream. Veggies include Jonathan’s Roasted Broccoli, Quick and Easy Super-Snappy Green Beans, and “It’s Maaaa-gic!” Moroccan Carrots.
The real killer in the sides department, though, is Garret Fleming’s Macaroni and Cheese. Mr. Fleming, the executive chef at restaurant Barrel in Washington, DC, has put together his own innovatively decadent take on an American comfort food favorite. As the authors note: “This is a somewhat involved execution of a classic dish. It’s also an expensive production, using an array of cheeses with price points well above Velveeta’s. We cursed the cost and labor while doing the shopping and cooking, then woke the next morning with an itch to make it again soon. It’s that special.” And this isn’t exactly diet food… In addition to the pound of pasta, five (5) cheeses, and assorted seasonings, the recipe also calls for an entire quart (A Quart!) of heavy cream. If you decide to give this one a try, I’d plan on putting off that next cholesterol test indefinitely!
Meatloaf traditionalists will find plenty to like here… as will more adventurous cooks. This is a terrific collection that will make a marvelous addition to your recipe library.
A Meatloaf in Every Oven is available online through Barnes and Noble and amazon.com.
Bon Appétit!
TAD
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