Come Into My Kitchen
by

It has been my misfortune to taste many a horrid meat loaf. Some of them I prepared myself in my never-ending pursuit of strange and wondrous new ways with ground beef. And it's not a lonely quest. As far back as I can remember, cooks have been experimenting to produce that final, definitive, perfect meat loaf-that elusive recipe, always just beyond your grasp, the one which will have you shouting "Eureka!" and discarding all your other meat loaf recipes.

The search for a new way to prepare something exciting and different with a pound of ground meat becomes significant during this head-scratching, pocket-digging month of April. The subject of taxes has been meat for humorists for years; hardly anyone has a good word to say about taxes.

Mark Twain said,

But the British distiller Dewar viewed taxes more charitably, if not optimistically, when he observed,

So at least for a little while, until we accommodate ourselves to new tax laws, different interpretations and mild shock, the less expensive cuts of meat look better and better. And that's where ground meat enters the picture.

Entire books have been devoted to ways with ground beef. I've read them all, and continue to search. The project becomes much like dressmaking. You succumb to a beautiful remnant of fab ric, not quite enough to make an entire dress but too tempting to pass up. You cut the skirt from one pattern, the blouse from another, the sleeves from a third. And if you're skillful and ingenious, you come up with something wearable.

My recipe for "Income Tax Meat Loaf" is like the put-together dress. It was an amalgam of several recipes and is reprinted here, along with other versions which passed muster in my kitchen lately.

INCOME TAX MEAT LOAF

1 lb. ground beef or veal
1/2 lb. pork sausage (sage-flavored, hot or mild)
1 onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup water
2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 egg
3/4cup bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
2 Tbspl. minced parsley
1/2 green pepper, chopped
Salt (scant) and pepper to taste
2 Tsp. Worcestershire  sauce
1-1/2 cup canned tomatoes

Mix all ingredients together, using only 3/4 cup of the tomatoes. Blend thoroughly and form into loaf. Place in baking pan and pour remaining tomatoes over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours, basting frequently with gravy in bottom of pan. Good hot or cold.
 

WILLIE MAE'S MEAT LOAF

1 lb. lean beef
3/4 lb. lean veal
1/4 lb.lean pork
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp.  cracker  crumbs
1/4 tsp. marjoram
Black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup boiling water
1 large onion, cut in 1/4-inch shces

Have butcher grind the three meats together. Place in large bowl and add the l/2 cup water, salt, crumbs, marjoram and black pepper. Mix thoroughly with wooden spoon. Form into an oval loaf and place in shallow baking dish. Arrange onion slices over top. Stir butter into boiling water and pour over loaf. Bake for 1-1/2 hours in 350-degree oven, basting every 15 minutes if possible. Never let dish get dry; add more hot water if necessary.

MEAT LOAF SUPREME
(From LIVE HIGH ON LOW FAT by Sylvia Rosenthal)

1 lb. lean round steak, ground
1 lb lean veal, ground
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
Pepper to taste
3 slices white bread, soaked in
1/2 cup skim milk
1 large onion, grated
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. chili sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dry mustard

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Mix well and beat until you're tired, but don't get tired until the mixture is light and spongy. Oil flat baking dish and pat into meat loaf shape. Bake for 50 min. to an hour in 375-degree oven. Transfer to serving platter and cover with mushroom sauce or leftover pot roast gravy.

A FAMOUS COLE SLAW

This is the recipe for the cole slaw known for many years as Fred Harvey's cole slaw, made famous by the Harvey restaurants that served the route of the Santa Fe Railway. Hundreds of variations have developed through the years, but the following is purported to be the original.

1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 small onion, finely minced
1/3 cup granulated sugar

In a large bowl, combine cabbage and onion. Spread sugar over it, toss with fork. .

Now bring the following to a boil:
1 tsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 cup salad oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Pour over cabbage, toss thoroughly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serves 5 to 6, lasts beautifully.

GLADYS' APPLE KRINKLE

1 or 2 cans (15-oz.) presliced apples
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Sprinkling of nutmeg and cinnamon
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup  brown  sugar
1 stick butter or margarine

Arrange apples in baking dish. Squeeze lemon juice over them and sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon. In a bowl, combine oats, flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter and when well combined, spread over apples. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 to 1-1/4 hours.

Leftovers are good if reheated in oven, then broiler turned on for just a minute to re-crisp the topping. (This may be made with fresh apples using 4 cups shced apples, 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Then follow same directions for topping.)