Hometown Focus Recipes - Hometown Focus

 

I look for inspiration on what my recipe column for the week will feature from many different sources. Sometimes it’s a website, but more often, it’s whatever food I happen to be craving at the time. However, this week’s inspiration on beef recipes came from the meatloaf recipe that was submitted by one of our readers, Steve Baker, whose recipe, along with a story, tops the list of recipes this week.

There are so many ways ground beef can be used–this column just scratches the surface. I’m interested to try the sloppy joe recipe. I typically use chicken gumbo soup and chili sauce when I make mine, but the ingredients for these sloppy joes sound good–many of which I like to use anyway when I cook.

There were several suggestions on the www.allrecipes.com website to add some kind of pasta to the ground beef spinach casserole and to use fresh mushrooms and spinach rather than frozen and canned. I still try to stick with the original recipe form first, then change it up when or if I make it again. However, the suggestions on this recipe make sense, and I like to use fresh when I can. Try these and share your thoughts!

Engineer’s Meatloaf

Recipe and narrative by: Steve Baker

In the early days of Internet discussion boards, my meatloaf recipe was very popular as it made the rounds of food groups.

I started with a basic meatloaf on The Motley Fool financial site’s social forums, and refined it as time went by. It appeared in such varied places as an early children’s cooking game to a technical version on Cooking by Engineers, and got me an introduction to the late Ms. Molly O’Neill, cookbook author and food editor for the New York Times, who visited the Range doing research for her book One Big Table – 600 Recipes (but that’s another story), and an appearance on the

WDSE cooking program segment B is for Beef, where I scared the hell out of host Julie Kellner.

Anyway, here’s engineer’s meatloaf–minus the technical jargon-like angle of repose, slump testing, aspect ratios, and mass measurement vs. weight or volume.

• 1 lb. ground beef (15-20 percent fat)
• 1/2 lb. ground pork (at least 20 percent
fat, I save trimmings from chops, short
ribs etc.)
• 1 c. fresh bread crumbs
• Egg
• Small carrot
• Small stalk celery
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/4 c. milk, or another dairy
• 1-2 tsp. salt (to taste)
• Ground pepper (to taste)
• Garlic cloves (optional)
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 1-2 drops hot pepper sauce (optional)

Chop carrot, celery, onion and garlic in a food processor. Combine vegetables with egg, salt and pepper in large bowl (add other options if desired). Stir in bread crumbs. Add ground beef and pork. Add just enough milk to bring mixture together. Mix all ingredients together gently with small fork or spatula. Do not squish with hands!

Shape meatloaf by rolling mixture back and forth between hands into a small football shape. Drop meatloaf gently on a baking pan and pat into final form. I take a sharp knife and cut a loose cross-hatch pattern into the top, just because my mother always did.

The mixing and shaping are critical in order to achieve the desired texture. This construction assures that the correct amount of air remains in the mixture. Meatloaf must cook evenly through, allow fat to drain and water to evaporate, and hold its shape when sliced.

Place in oven pre-heated to 450 degrees and immediately turn temp down to 350 degrees. Cook for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from

oven, drain off fat, cover loosely with foil, and let meatloaf rest 10 minutes before cutting. Serve as is, reheat by slicing and sautéing, or, better yet, slice cold for sandwiches. (Yield: roughly eight 3/4-inch slices plus two ends–the best part!)

Easy Korean Ground Beef Bowl

Recipe by: bd.weld www.allrecipes.com

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 c. light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 6 green onions, chopped, divided
• 4 c. hot cooked brown rice
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring and crumbling into small pieces until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess grease.

Add garlic, ginger, and sesame oil, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper. Cook until some of the sauce absorbs into the beef, about 7 minutes. Add 1/2 of the chopped green onions.

Serve beef over hot cooked rice; garnished with sesame seeds and remaining green onions. (Yield: 4 servings)

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Recipe by: Chef John www.allrecipes.com

• 1 1/2 lb. extra lean ground beef
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 c. water
• 3/4 c. ketchup
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 c. water
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper to taste

Place ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Turn heat to medium and cook and

stir the mixture constantly until the beef is browned and forms small crumbles, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and green bell pepper; cook and stir until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and stir, scraping the pan to dissolve any brown flavor bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Mix in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper. Add 1 more cup water and return mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick, about 40 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. (Yield: 6 servings)

Ground Beef and Spinach Casserole

Recipe by: JNAMCD www.allrecipes.com

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced, or more to taste
• 1 (10 oz.) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 dashes hot pepper sauce, or more to
taste
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 (10 oz.) packages frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (10 oz.) can condensed cream of celery
soup
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 (8 oz.) package grated mozzarella
cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef, onion, and garlic in the hot skillet until beef is browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Add mushrooms, oregano, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add spinach, soup, and sour cream; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a casserole dish and cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. (Yield: 6 servings)

Do you have recipes to share? We’d love to hear from you. Email your recipes to kirstenr@htfnews.us. Please include your name, city of residence, and a telephone number. For those who do not have internet access, you can mail your recipes to Hometown Focus, 401 6th Ave. N., Suite 1111, Virginia, MN, 55792.

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