Meatloaf

*2 cups minced onions
*2 Tb butter or oil
*1 cup lightly pressed down crumbs from homemade type fresh white bread
*2 lbs ground beef chuck
*1 lb ground pork shoulder, or fresh sausage meat or ground raw turkey plus 1 cup rice
*2 “large” eggs
* 1/2 cup bouillon
*1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
*1 to 2 cloves of garlic, pureed, optional
*Seasonings: 2 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 2 tsp each thyme and paprika, 1 tsp each allspice and oregano
*3 imported bay leaves, for the top

A Beef and Pork Meatloaf
From The Way to Cook by Julia Child
Page 251

Made by Laura
For a 2-quart loaf, serving 12

Browning the onions
Sauté the onions in the butter or oil 5 minutes or so, until tender and translucent: raise heat and sauté a few minutes longer, until lightly browned. Scrape into the mixing bowl.

The mixture
Toss all the rest of the ingredients except for the bay leaves rather gently with the onions. Sauté a spoonful and taste carefully – if you are to serve the m meat loaf cold, exaggerate a bit on the seasoning. Either form into a loaf shape on a buttered jelly-roll pan, or pack the meat into a buttered 8-cup loaf pan and bang on the table to deflate air bubbles. Top with the bay leaves.

*Ahead-of time-note
May be prepared in advance; cover and refrigerate or freeze. Note: If you want to freeze a meat loaf, it is best frozen raw; defrost overnight or longer in the refrigerator before baking.

Baking
about 1 ½ hours at 350 (I cooked mine for 1 hour). Preheat the oven and set the meat loaf in the lower middle level.

When is it done?
It is done when the juices run almost clear with a pale pink tinge, and the meat is lightly springy to the touch. A meat thermometer should read 155 degrees – do not remove the thermometer until the meat rests before serving time, or the juices will burst out.

Serving
Let cool for 30 minutes. Pour off fat and juices. Transfer the loaf to a board or platter. Serve hot with tomato sauce (358). Or let cool, then wrap and refrigerate – the star of any picnic.

Making the sauce
Cook the onions and oil in a 2-quart covered saucepan stirring occasionally, until tender but not brown - 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes; cover and cook slowly several minutes. Stir in the herbs, garlic, optional ingredients; salt lightly to taste. Simmer slowly, partially covered, for 30 minutes, adding a little juice from the tomatoes if sauce becomes too thick. Taste carefully and correct seasoning.

Ahead-of-time-note
May be cooked in advance and refrigerated: may be frozen.

Tomato Sauce
About 2 ½ cups

*1/2 cup minced onions
*2 tbs olive oil
*4 cups tomato pulp (out of season: half fresh and half canned tomatoes)
*1/4 tsp thyme
*1 imported bay leaf
*1 or 2 large cloves of garlic, pureed
*Optional: big pinch of saffron threads
*Optional: 1/4 tsp dried orange peel
*Salt
*Freshly ground pepper