It is a well-established culinary urban legend that the French hate ketchup. I always think of that I Love Lucy episode with the escargots and the tongs on her nose and the ketchup and the chef who comes tearing out of the kitchen in a fit to see who would dare to order ketchup with his perfect snails. I may have a French family, but Lucy and I share a passport. I love ketchup.
Where else do you find ketchup if not in meatloaf? My mother, being of that beloved race of ketchup-haters from across the Atlantic, never made it for me growing up. So, instead of being that Wednesday night dreaded hockey-puck dinner, meatloaf became for me a kind of sought-after delicacy. Even now when I see it at those gourmet comfort food places that are so trendy, I am entranced at the idea of meatloaf. So homey and comforting and filling and maternal. Like a big hug.
I flavor my plate of all-American nostalgia with the flavors of my own childhood comfort food: Boeuf Bourguignon, a stew of beef, bacon, mushrooms, and onions, cooked in a crock full of red wine. Yes, my Beef Bourguignon Meatloaf has ketchup, but it is a ketchup reduced with onions, garlic, bay leaf, fresh thyme, and, of course, Burgundy wine. Bacon plays a double role in this meatloaf: flavoring the mushrooms and the interior of the loaf, while forming a shingled crust on the outside. Mushrooms and onions are minced and incorporated to lighten up with beef, which along with fresh breadcrumbs, give this meatloaf a moist and soft texture. Cognac is the final thrill. While I admit I thought I would love the idea of this recipe more than the recipe itself, it turned out better than my wildest expectations. France and America may be far apart, but long distance relationships definitely have their perks. Bon app!
Boeuf Bourguignon Meatloaf
serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1 medium yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
2 cups very roughly ground fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
10 single stems fresh thyme, divided
1 bay leaf
6 to 8 slices bacon
4 ounces cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons cognac
2 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 pounds 90% lean ground beef
PROCEDURE
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Start by making the red wine ketchup. Quarter the onion and place it and the garlic in the food processor. Run the machine until the onion and garlic are finely chopped. Spoon out into a bowl and set aside.
3. Place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl, and pour the milk over them so the bread can soak up the milk.
4. In a medium saucepot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat. Add half of the chopped onion and garlic mixture, and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the red wine and raise the heat to high. Bring to boil. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, 6 stems thyme, and bay leaf, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 15 minutes. You will have 1½ cups red wine ketchup.
5. Meanwhile, run the mushrooms through the food processor until you have a rough rubble--but don't make them too fine (there's no need to wash the food processor in between uses here; the flavors will all be combined anyway). In a 9-inch sauté pan, heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add 2 slices of bacon, sliced about ¼-inch thick. Sauté until just starting to crisp: about 3 minutes. Add the remainder of the onion and garlic mixture and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, or until the pan starts to dry out. Season with salt and pepper, and add the cognac (pour the cognac into a separate container before adding to the hot pan). Cook until evaporated. Place the mushrooms in a large bowl.
6. In the bowl with the mushrooms, add the eggs, 1 cup of red wine ketchup, and the parsley. Squeeze all the liquid out of the breadcrumbs and add those as well. Whisk the mixture thoroughly together. On top of the mixture, add the meat. Season with salt and pepper. With clean hands, mix everything in the bowl together until just incorporated. Do not overmix.
7. Grease a small, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment lightly with olive oil. Form a log of the meat mixture measuring about the length of a slice of bacon and 5 inches wide. Spoon ¼ cup red wine ketchup over the meatloaf. Place the remaining 4 to 6 slices bacon lengthwise over the top of the meatloaf. Bake 1½ hours, until a metal skewer inserted in the center of the meatloaf comes out hot. Allow to rest 10 minutes, then transfer to a serving platter, and slice. Serve with remaining red wine ketchup on the side.
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For "Meatloaf, Italian Style", check out the Amy Vanderbilt Cook Book, published in 1961, illustrations by Andy Warhol. That meatloaf is delicious, super easy and never fail. Instead of ketchup, after baking for 30 mins., you throw 8 oz. of tomato sauce on it, along w/a sprinkling of oregano. I sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on it, too. Cook for another 20 minutes, and ummm! I serve w/mashed potatoes and butter and spinach or string beans.
Something akin to Mark Twain's take on, "Cauliflower is cabbage with a college degree".
two things if you're gonna make this. first is that it is a bit more tedious to make than other meatloaf recipes but it's well worth the work. second, i would double or increase by half again the ketchup. it was so delicious i wanted some to dip my loaf in, but there wasn't much. you might think that the flavor of the loaf is too delicate to stand up to more ketchup but i can assure you that it is not.
1. Keep your ground meats well chilled to preserve the fat structure. Let the cooking melt it out and it will leave a bit of space to lighten the texture.
2. Mix all your wet ingredients separately and well. Chill before the final mix. This includes the eggs.
3. Plan to use a large bowl you can get yours hands in completely with room to spare.
4. When ready to assemble, crumble the chilled ground meats into the bowl and add the dry ingredients. Then using your hands, mix carefully by lifting the meat from the bottom until all the dry evenly coats the meat. Then add the chilled liquid ingredients, incorporate lightly with your hands again, and let stand a few minutes to allow them to soak into the bread so you can make your loaf.
Off to the oven then!
But one recipe I tried recently incorporated ground bacon into the loaf, and that worked very nicely.
My best meat loaves have been done with little prep work -- the bacon meat loaf recipe was otherwise unduly complex -- and while the red wine "ketchup" sounds intriguing, I've found that when I make a quick loaf from scratch, sans recipe, it usually turns out the best. No laundry list of ingredients, no highbrow substitutions of regular ketchup.
I do think some fennel does add a pleasant touch to meat loaf, though (seed or fresh).
Thanks for the ideas, chef!
Once again, thanks for the recipe and I just have to try it, yummy.
Gotta!!!
Must try out the Ketchup with red wine - and proceed if that tests out. And flambe the cognac with it by all means - just thinking out loud.
As with standard meatloaf, cubed fresh white bread might be better than dry crumbs. Cubed up hot dog or hamburger buns might be even better.
Does Worcestershire even belong in a Kitchen - Isn't it British and probably belongs in the garbage along with their Marmite.
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A judicious amount of Worcestershire works well in meat loaf, in crab cakes, and in freshly made Caesar salad dressing. But if for no other reason, you absolutely must have it for spicy Bloody Marys.
The real question in International cuisine is what is Marmite good for?