Today I’m making pork and veal meatloaf stuffed with mushrooms and topped with a mushroom and sun-dried tomato glaze. Occasionally I come across a recipe that I quickly dismiss based on one or two ingredients. This recipe, once upon a time, may have been one of those recipes. I may have seen jalapeño in the glaze and thought my family doesn’t like spicy foods, or fennel may have turned me off. Mushrooms can be one of those ingredients that someone (not me) might be turned off by because they “think” they don’t like them. I think I could get anyone to like mushrooms prepared scrumptiously. I have found in my years of cooking that the complexity of a recipe can create layers of flavors that bring together flavors one ingredient could not.
So, my friends who tell me if there’s more than four ingredients they won’t make it, I urge you to explore new taste combinations. You might just find it to be well worth the effort. The beauty of meatloaf is that you throw it all in one bowl, tuck it into one pan and bake it while you sit on the porch, read a book and drink wine… or do laundry. This simple recipe is perfect for our Heinen’s 4 PM Panic series.
Mushroom season starts in the early spring and goes through late fall. I have friends in the Pacific Northwest and even New York who love to forage for fresh mushrooms. The trouble is that there are as many inedible mushrooms as there are edible ones and what you don’t know can make you sick. With my limited knowledge I count on Heinen’s to bring me the freshest selections. Why dried mushrooms in this recipe? Mushrooms are one of those wonderful foods that can be dried and reconstituted giving it a long shelf life and an intense concentrated flavor. I use the dried mushrooms here to give the meatloaf a rich mushroom flavor. Then I use the remaining mushroom broth to make risotto. Win Win!
One more note, this recipe calls for pork and veal. It could easily be made with ground beef but I think the combination of rich veal with the pork elevates this dish to something far better than hamburger meat. Heinen’s knows this trick and conveniently sells combination packs. Today at Heinen’s I found a combo-pack of ground veal, ground pork and ground beef. I used that and added a bit of extra veal. My point is that you can make this in any combination you like.
Pork and Veal Meatloaf Stuffed with Mushrooms and Topped with a Mushroom and Sun-Dried Tomato Glaze.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground veal
- 1 egg
- 3 0z dried mushrooms, soaked, drained, and chopped (or 1/2 pound fresh chopped mushrooms)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ onion, diced
- ½ cup panko crumbs
- ¼ cup mushroom water (or beef broth)
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
For the Glaze:
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, in their oil
- ¼ cup soaked mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons water from soaking the mushrooms (or just water)
METHOD
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- I used dried/soaked mushrooms for this meatloaf to give it an extra mushroomy flavor, but if you don’t do that, saute your chopped mushrooms in a little butter over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until softened and browned, before adding to the meatloaf mixture.
- To soak the mushrooms, place them in a large bowl covered in hot water, loosely cover the bowl, and allow them to soak for an hour, until the water is a deep amber and the mushrooms are soft. Drain and save the water, then chop the mushrooms.
- Mix together the ground meat, egg, mushrooms, garlic, onion, panko crumbs, chile powder, oregano, salt, pepper flakes, black pepper, and fennel.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and pat the meat mixture into the pan using your hands.
- Smooth the top and bake for 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time.
- To make the glaze, puree the mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, brown sugar, jalapeño pepper, and mushroom water in a blender or food processor, until smooth.
- After the meatloaf has cooked for one hour, remove it from the oven and turn the the heat up to 450 degrees F. Brush the top of the meatloaf with the glaze, then place back in the oven for 10 minutes or so, until the glaze has caramelized.
- Allow the meatloaf to rest for 10 minutes, covered, before slicing and serving.
- This will keep well as leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
About the Author
Photographer Sally Roeckell specializes in contemporary lifestyle portraiture with an emphasis on food photography. Her Blog, Table and Dish is a website devoted to celebrating and curating the many ways that food binds us. Sally hopes that her recipes and images will inspire you to gather your friends and family in the kitchen to make memories, use the time to connect with busy kids, chat over mixing bowls, get messy, laugh, sing, set the table, clear the table, pass the salt, debate the days topics and pray. You can follow her here as a weekly contributor to 365Barrington and Heinen’s as well as via Table and Dish on Instagram and on her website at TableAndDish.com.
Have you heard about Heinen’s Tasteful Rewards™ program? Sign up for free to receive exclusive weekly specials via email and earn Heinen’s rewards. As a Tasteful Rewards™ membership benefit, Heinen’s will donate up to 1% of your qualified purchases made between September and April to a local school of your choice through their Teaming Up for Education Program. CLICK HERE to sign up for Heinen’s Tasteful Rewards™ and, trust me, this is one email that will always please your palate!
Heinen’s Grocery is located at 500 N. Hough Street, between E. Main Street and Route 14 (next to Meatheads) in Barrington, Illinois. They’re open 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit Heinens.com.
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