This Meatloaf is not Just a Meatloaf

This meatloaf is excellently flavored - with Gorgonzola! Not just your everyday meatloaf, for sure. Diverse flavors all blended together become an intriguing and evocative combo.

Meatloaf has always been just "bleh" for me. I surely have never ordered it in a restaurant, as does my husband. Even worse, if it has had raw onion added in before baking. I love onions, but not raw. I prefer instead to caramelize onions before adding them to a meatloaf mixture, which, to me, provides a lot more depth of flavor. 

Gorgonzola Meatloaf

Trying out different flavor combinations, on the very occasional meatloaf, has been due to that need of mine to make things taste better. Especially if it is something I find so unappealing in general. I know there are many meatloaf lovers who will vehemently disagree with me, my own husband included. But if you want something a little different, then look no further. 

It also is not easy to take an enticing photo of meatloaf - of any sort. My photos leave much to be desired, I admit. You'll have to just go on my word here, that this is one truly delicious dinner item. When I made this originally, cherry preserves were mixed with ketchup to spread over the top. Currant jelly would work as well, though the jelly would have to be melted in order to mix with the ketchup. In looking back at this recipe, a new idea popped into my head. I never, ever, stop tweaking recipes, even my own. I rarely make a recipe the same way twice, even when it was fabulous the first time. I believe that when I make this for dinner tonight, I am going to add in some soaked and softened dried blueberries as well. 😁 That, and I am planning on using half ground beef and half ground turkey.

Gorgonzola Meatloaf

Makes 2 meat loaves; serves about 6 to 8

Gorgonzola Meatloaf

2 pounds lean hamburger
1 cup applesauce
¼ cup A-1 Sauce®
2 teaspoons salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup rolled oats
2.5 ounces Gorgonzola crumbles
½ cup ketchup
½ cup cherry preserves (or use melted red currant jelly)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have two 4 x 8-inch loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray; set aside.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together all ingredients except the ketchup and preserves. Divide the mixture into two equal portions and pat them into the prepared loaf pans.

Combine the ketchup and cherry preserves. Divide this mixture to spread over each of the meatloaves. Bake them for approximately 1 hour. Slice and serve.

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UPDATE: I did make this meatloaf the day I wrote this blog, and used the changes I noted above, namely using half ground chicken and half ground beef, and adding 4 (or 5) ounces of dried blueberries, which I soaked briefly (then drained before adding to the mix of ingredients) while I was getting the rest of the ingredients in the bowl to mix.

 

Revised Gorgonzola Meatloaf with half ground chicken and dried blueberries

There are many people who do not appreciate the addition of sweet into a savory application. Some consider their own meatloaf recipes canon, and any additions or subtractions near sacrilege. I understand. Truly. If however, you do love the occasional addition of the less common ingredient, then this was a fabulously flavored meatloaf. The original was great, and this just took a couple more steps upward in my humble opinion! 

I mentioned at the beginning of this blog about onion in meatloaf. I did not use onion in this particular one, and had a question from a friend on that in Facebook. While I did not add onion in this recipe, if I were to do so, I would chop a medium onion and saute in oil until well caramelized before adding. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Quick Anyday Taco Pasta Skillet

Let's face it. There are days when even the most accomplished cook wants something easy. Simple. No hassle. I had one of those days a couple of days ago. I just plain did not feel like inventing something lengthy or complicated. I had some hamburger thawed, so that was going to be the main event. I was tired of Sloppy Joes or my One-Skillet Hamburger Meal (which I made last week).

My Taco Pasta Skillet

So I went online. I am sure, if you are looking at this blog post, that you have been in this same boat, and found literally hundreds of hamburger skillets, along with ones for chicken and pork and any number of other things. Some with pasta, some with rice, and some with no carb component. This is what influenced me: my husband likes his carbs. If I served him a hamburger skillet that contained no rice or pasta, he would want it on a bun. So - since I had just made the rice skillet recently, I was looking for something with pasta. 

I found lots and lots and lots of recipes. As usual, none of them - quite - suited me. A Taco Skillet sounded good, but required a packet of Taco Seasoning. I do not buy packets of pre-mixed seasonings. They most often contain MSG, and at the very least contain a slew of ingredients that make me wonder if there is truly anything at all real in the mixture! One commonly known brand contains 6 identifiable ingredients. The remainder of the ingredient list states:

"Contains Less than 2% of: Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent), Sunflower and/or Cottonseed Oil, Natural Flavor, Ethoxyquin (Preservative)."

Taco Seasoning

I don't know about you, but for me, this is not desirable. So, my next step was to try and cobble together a recipe for Taco Seasoning. Most recipes found online are quite similar. Most have identical ingredients, but with differing amounts. Some few have a couple of extra things. You get the picture. So again I set pen to paper and made a list of what I thought should go into a Taco Seasoning. Here is what I created:

Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

• 2 tablespoons = one "packet"
• 2 tablespoons seasons 1 pound hamburger
• makes five (2-tablespoon) servings

3 tablespoons commercial chili powder
2½ tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons powdered oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1½ teaspoons cornstarch

Mix all ingredients together and store in a jar with tight fitting lid, away from light and heat.

If more heat is desired, add in cayenne powder to your desired heat tolerance.

What is a Taco, Anyway?

I guess the next step in my creation of a recipe is to ask "What is a Taco?" I think that all depends on who you ask. Almost anything can go into a taco. Any kind of meat. Cheese or no cheese. Vegetables: most often fresh tomatoes, or salsa, avocado, and many other possibilities - or no vegetables. Tortillas: corn or wheat. What goes in is at the discretion of the cook, the country and the day of the week. I am being a little facetious, but really, tacos consist of something to hold and something to fill. 

With this much leeway, most anything can be done, but obviously making something in a skillet has nothing to do with a "taco". So I am going on the idea that because it is flavored with "taco seasoning" (I'm betting tacos in Mexico do not use "taco seasoning"), and some of the things that might go into a taco are in this one-dish meal, that this constitutes a "taco" skillet. For sure, the ingredient list can be diverse. 

Taco Pasta Skillet

When I approached this concept, I started thinking about things that might be thought of as "Tex-Mex" and so corn and beans were two things right off the bat. The taco seasoning I created, at least had no untoward ingredients, and gave flavors that lean in that direction. Cheese strewn over top would be the cheese component. The pasta component is the one, glaring, outside-the-box ingredient. 

Ultimately, my husband loved it, and so did I. I served it with sour cream and I ate mine with avocado cubes. It is delicious. My husband's only commentary was that some kind of tortilla chips, maybe crumbled over top, would have given that crunchy aspect he was missing. Ultimately, I think this will be added to the small list (in my cooking repertoire) of things that can be put together in a jiffy. And, that my husband loves.

Taco Pasta Skillet

Taco Pasta Skillet

Serves at least 8 hungry people

1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 commercial packet of Taco Seasoning, OR 2 tablespoons of my Taco Seasoning,
recipe above
1 teaspoon salt (if using my seasoning)
2 cups tomato salsa
1 small can corn kernels, drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups elbow macaroni
¾ cup taco sauce + ¾ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar / jack)
2 - 4 scallions, chopped

In a very large skillet (preferably non-stick, and with a tight fitting lid) brown the ground beef until all the liquid evaporates, and the meat is browned, about 7 - 8 minutes. Add in the onion, garlic, bell pepper, Taco Seasoning and the 1 teaspoon of salt (if using commercial Taco Seasoning, it will already contain salt, so be aware and eliminate or reduce the salt) and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the salsa and the pasta, with the taco sauce and water and another 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir the mixture well and cover. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 7 minutes. Uncover and stir well, then cover and cook for another 7 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is cooked al dente. Sprinkle on the scallions, and top with the shredded cheese. Replace the lid, remove the skillet from the heat and let stand while the cheese melts, another 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve the skillet meal with sour cream, avocado (plain or as guacamole), chopped tomatoes, cilantro, or salsa on the side.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Sloppy Joe Conundrum

Uniquely Fine Chicken Salad

Hi again! It seems like that old saying about that road paved with good intentions. I keep wanting to get to this blog, and I am still so bogged down with unpacking. Admittedly, I have too much stuff. No question. And now, with a large enough house to really unpack it all, one month later and I am still working on it. On top of that, I have a wedding cake to make. I have finally gotten a little preliminary work done, but there's a lot to do, and the wedding is less than a month away.



Sweet Smoky Pork Tenderloin

I have also been busy trying out new recipes and getting photos of some that have been around quite some time in  my kitchen, like my Uniquely Fine Chicken Salad. A couple days back I made Goan Style Chicken. Before that, I had made Sweet Smoky Pork Tenderloin, accompanied by Apple Onion Chutney with Sultanas. 

But on to the title of this blog: Sloppy Joe Conundrum. Last evening I thought I would make something quick and easy; Sloppy Joes. We have a lot of hamburger meat left from the side of beef we bought 2 years back, so I look for new ways to use it, but often just fall back onto old standbys. My husband is picky about certain sauces like spaghetti or Sloppy Joes. If they are too thin, he just doesn't like them. Store bought ones do have thickeners, such as flour or Guar Gum or Xanthan Gum, among others. He likes the Manwich original so that is what I buy. My preference would be to make a recipe of my own, but have not bothered.

Goan Style Chicken

Okay, so I had thawed a package of what I thought was hamburger, only to find it was pork sausage instead! Great. I usually don't thaw too much ahead, so it wasn't like I couldn't just substitute some ground beef. I heat a pot, add some oil, set the frozen meat in there, allow to brown a bit, flip, scrape off the cooked part flip again and scrape, repeating until I have cooked the whole package of frozen meat. It works.

My original thought was to just make the one pound of ground beef, since I only had one can of the Manwich. I would just save the sausage meat for something else. Then I started reading the ingredients on the can. I got thinking I'd like to try out some semblance of the canned flavor by creating a sauce of my own. Granted, once I did this, it was combined with the actual Manwich, so I couldn't be completely impartial about the flavors. I added in the ground pork sausage to brown with the beef. I will have to give this a go all on its own to see how it tastes. However, that said, my husband and sister did not know the difference. I guess that says something.

Having gone on to remake this on its own, using just ground beef, this is the recipe:

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes

1 pound hamburger meat
1 (14.5 or 15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
¼ cup double concentrated tomato paste (from a tube)
2 teaspoons Barbecue Spice Mix
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a 6 quart pot, brown the hamburger meat well. Add in the onion and continue to stir and cook for about 10 minutes more. Add in all the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for at least a half hour for flavors to meld. Serve on hamburger buns.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.