Mini-Meatloaf for 8

There are two working adults in my household, and that means lots of leftovers and lots of need for quick meals.

I love to cook on weekends for the whole week, freeze portions for two, then pick something fun each morning to defrost for that night’s dinner.

This is my personal meatloaf recipe. It’s moist and flavorful and full of fresh herbs. I make eight individual footballs or even some meatloaf burgers from it to mix it up. And if you’re a traditionalist, there’s no rule that says you can’t just make a big ol’ meatloaf like grandma made! Enjoy!

Mini-Meatloaf with fresh herbs, mushrooms & vodka sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground chuck (85/15)
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3-5 dashes of Tabasco
• 2 T worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 c breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c grated parmesan
• 1 T pressed garlic
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped & sauteed
• 2 T chopped fresh parsley
• 3-4 sprigs chopped fresh thyme
• 2 T chopped fresh oregano
• 2 T chopped fresh basil + chiffonade for garnish (see picture)
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 T kosher or sea salt
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the above ingredients except olive oil. Divide into 8 portions, then mold into small ovals (footballs) or rounds (hamburgers or meatballs). Place on greased sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until cooked through, but not dry. Remove and let rest while you prepare the sauce (below).

Sauce

• 1 can of peeled & diced roasted tomatoes
• 1/2 jar of vodka sauce
• 1 T chopped fresh basil
• 12 mushrooms, sliced
• 3 T butter
• 1/4 c white wine
• 1 T chopped parsley
• S&P to taste

In a saute pot, sautee mushrooms in butter. When the mushrooms start to brown around the edges, add white wine & chopped parsley, then finish with S&P to taste and a pat of butter.

In a medium bot, combine tomatoes, vodka sauce, and basil. Cook to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.

Put a dollop of your favorite mashed potatoes in the center of each plate or soup bowl, and gently press a meatloaf into the potato bed. Top each meatloaf with one or two generous serving spoonfuls of sauce, then mushrooms, then a sprinkle of parmesan (shaved fresh is even better!) and spray of fresh basil.

Alternate burger version: Cook the burger patties 30-35 minutes (less than the meatloaf because it’s not as thick), and serve on your favorite toasted bun with fresh basil leaves, tomatoes, shaved parmesan, and dijon mustard.

Buon appetito!

Sweet Italian Sausage Sandwich

It’s BBQ season, and I love finding those giant family-sized packages of fresh sausages, buying them in excess, then freezing them in baggies of two or four to last me for months. Cook them on the grill when you can, but they’re perfectly delicious prepared stove-top, too!

I got really lucky and found some sweet Italian links at my neighborhood Kroger recently. They have lots of fennel and a kick of red pepper heat, are freshly made with no preservatives or MSG.

Pick your favorite for this dish and get ready to get messy!

Sweet Italian Sausage Sandwich with Poblanos & Onions

Ingredients:

• Sausage links (1 per person)
• hot dog or hoagie bun (1 per person)
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1 poblano pepper, sliced thin (optional, or you can also use a bell pepper)
• 1 T olive oil
• pinch of salt
• pinch of ground pepper
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 T Sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
• yellow mustard

Prepare the links as instructed or by cooking through in a pan with a small amount of water (1/4 c or so), then brown ’til nicely crusted.

While the links are cooking, sweat onion and poblano in olive oil with salt & pepper, brown sugar, tomato paste, and Sriracha, about 20 minutes, until very limp and caramelized.

Toast the bun, dress both sides with yellow mustard, then place the sausage and top with onions & peppers.

Bring lots of napkins. It’s messy, and worth every drip of it!

Farmer's Market Lobster Roll

When I moved to Atlanta earlier this year, I learned that I would be living just five minutes from arguably one of the South’s best farmer’s market: The Dekalb Farmer’s Market. This place is the 9th Wonder of the World, with fresh daily produce, herbs & spices, prepared foods, meats, seafoods, baked goods.

One of my first discoveries was the fresh cooked lobsters that, if I got there on Thursday morning at just the right moment, would be marked 50% off. So for about $4, I can bring home a perfect lobster, pick it, and have a lobster roll for lunch! Who’da thunk it?!?!

Here’s a tip: You can make this same salad with crawfish tails or shrimp.

Farmer’s Market Lobster Roll

Ingredients:

• 1 lobster, picked & chopped (include fat, roe, and juices from inside the shell)
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 2 romaine lettuce leaves
• 1/4 tsp celery seed
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 T mayo (I like Hellman’s lite with olive oil)
• 2 fresh bakery sandwich rolls or hot dog buns, toasted & lightly buttered
• 1-2 T Remoulade à la Arnaud’s

Combine the lobster, celery, celery seed, and mayo. Salt & pepper to taste. Spread generously on a fresh toasted, buttered roll. Top with a spoonful of remoulade and a leaf of lettuce.

Makes 2 perfect sandwiches.

Bourbon Banana Bread

I don’t do a lot of baking, but this spin on banana bread is so scumptuous, so idiot-proof, and so flexible (breakfast, desert, holiday gifts), that I make it all the time and keep back-ups in the freezer.

Bourbon Banana Bread

Ingredients: 

4 or 5 ripe bananas (the more the moister)
1/3 c melted butter
3/4 c sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt (vanilla fleur de sel is nice if you have it)
2-3 T bourbon
1-1/2 c flour

Preheat oven to 350.

Smash bananas. Add butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, bourbon, baking soda, salt. Fold in flour last.

Pour batter into greased 4″x8″ loaf pan. Bake 1 hour.

Cool. Remove from pan. Serve plain, buttered, topped with macerated strawberries, coffee ice cream, or whatever gets your juices flowing.

Crawfish Étouffée

This recipe is a hybrid from Paul Prudhomme and my cousin Lillian Lanclos Robertson. I like the dark roux, “plunged trinity,” and the spice blend from Chef Paul, and the tangy addition of mustard from Cousin Lillian. I added the Tabasco, lemon juice, worcestershire, parsley, and green onions because they just seem right. I have also used poblano instead of bell pepper when I cooked it for Jody, who doesn’t like bells, and it added a subtle layer of flavor. Adjust the cayenne to your personal level of heat. As written, it has a slow burn, and I like it that way!

Étouffée (Crawfish or Shrimp)

Ingredients:

• 12-16 oz. crawfish tails or shrimp (salad or small size, or cut into 1″ pieces)
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 1 bell pepper or poblano pepper, chopped
• 1/4 c butter (unsalted)
• 1/2 c vegetable oil
• 3/4 c flour
• 1 T whole grain or dijon mustard
• 3-4 c shrimp or seafood stock (chicken stock can substitute)
• 3-4 splashes of Tabasco
• 1 T worcestershire sauce
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 T chopped parsley
• 1/4 c scallions, chopped

Spice mix:

• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cayenne (adjust down for milder)
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

In a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed pot, make a chestnut brown roux by bringing the vegetable oil to screaming hot, then stirring in the flour. Stir constantly until it becomes brown, but be careful not to burn it. Add (plunge) the trinity (celery, onions & peppers) into the roux, and remove the pan from the heat. Add 1 T of the spice mix. Stir constantly until you can’t hear the sizzle anymore (a few minutes). The vegetables will be covered with the thick brown roux and cooking within it.

When the sizzle stops, return to medium heat, and add 3 cups of the stock, mustard, Tabasco, and worcestershire.

If you need to pause cooking, this is the point to do it. If the sauce thickens too much while sitting or if you refrigerate it, loosen it with more stock when you reheat it.

In a separate pan, saute crawfish or shrimp in butter and the rest of the spice mix until almost cooked, 3-5 minutes. Add the whole mix to the sauce, stir thoroughly. Simmer until flavors are blended — about 5-10 minutes more. Check for spiciness, and salt & pepper to taste. Finish with parsley and lemon juice just before serving.

Serve over rice and top with a few chopped scallions. Green salad & garlic bread or baguette makes the meal.

Serves 6-8.

Arnaud's Restaurant in New Orleans

Growing up in New Orleans, my very favorite restaurant was Arnaud’s. Not only did it have a really cool Mardi Gras museum in the back, but it had the best remoulade sauce I had and have ever eaten. This is not your typical mayonnaisey remoulade, but a fresh, cool, horseradish-laced version that should make your nose tingle and your eyes water a bit. Personally, I love when that happens!

I’ve worked for decades to get this recipe just the way I like it. It’s got a crunch that Arnaud’s lacks, so if you’re a stickler for the original, throw it all in the blender and make it as creamy as you like.

Good luck and happy eating!

Remoulade à la Arnaud’s

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup shallots, chopped fine
• 1 garlic clove, smashed & minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped fine
• 1 T fresh parsley, chopped fine
• 2 T whole grain or Dijon mustard
• 2-1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 T prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• S&P to taste

Put all the ingredients except the olive oil and S&P in a mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil slowly into the bowl while whisking until it emulsifies (thickens a little and becomes blended). S&P to taste. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with boiled shrimp or crawfish tails, as a dressing on a seafood salad sandwich, a topping on fresh fish, or add to mayo to spice up a roast beef sandwich!

Or did you come up with another way to use it? Share, please!

My mother, Kaki (far right), was the love child of Edith Bunker & Scarlett O’Hara, with a little Lucy Ricardo thrown in for time and place. When she died, she left a room full of recipe cards compiled from her time growing up in New Orleans, studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and borrowing from Cajun family and classic Southern friends.

This blog is dedicated to Kaki’s food legacy. I commit to at least one recipe a week, more when the spirit moves me. Tell your foodie friends and let’s get something started here.

So tell me: What dish makes your eyes roll back in your head?