Here’s another meatloaf recipe (see my others in the “loaf” category at the right). This one, for “Turkey Meatloaf with Fontina and Mushrooms,” from the September 2009 issue of Everyday Food, is my first to incorporate cheese. And what is this “Fontina cheese” that the recipe asks for? As described by Gourmet Sleuth, Fontina is a cow’s milk semi-soft cheese which comes only from the mountains of Valle d’Aosta, Italy. The cheese is aged and pungent, irregular in shape, covered with a dark brown rind. In the U.S. the cheese is typically younger, straw-yellow with a buttery, nutty taste, and is smooth when melted. I found a semi-soft table cheese called Fontal (from Lombardia, Italy), which is made from pasteurized cow’s milk and pays homage to the classic Italian Fontina. Like true Fontina, Fontal offers a nutty flavor and leaves behind a sweet aftertaste. It’s also a good melting cheese. My meatloaf was moist, flavorful, and didn’t taste like hamburger, which is to say, it achieved exalted status beyond mere ground meat.
Instead of using parchment paper to line my baking sheet, I used waxed paper. Be careful if you do this, because wax paper tends to “melt.” I’ve since made sure to include parchment paper in my pantry at all times. I cooked my loaf for 52 minutes. It was well-seasoned; the mushrooms, leeks, garlic, and sage were lovely. Enjoy this impressive meatloaf.
I also made the “Warm Escarole Salad with Goat Cheese, Hard-Boiled Eggs, and Bacon,” from the September 2009 issue of Bön Appetit. I halved the recipe, using only half a head of escarole, and was excited to try this green in its raw state, for a change. I discovered that it’s quite nice raw, too. I used a slice of uncured turkey bacon in this warm dressing, and needed to add a big splash of canola oil to the pan when I cooked it (remember, it’s not as fatty as other meat bacons). The amount of dressing that I made here was not enough to dress my salad, so I shouldn’t have halved the quantities of dressing, after all. A hard-boiled egg is always nice in a salad, as is goat cheese. If you have access to beautiful fresh escarole, make this salad for yourself and your guests.
PRICES
Cremini Mushrooms (1/2 lb.) = $1.84
Leeks (2 small) = .70¢
Ground Turkey (1 1/2 lbs.) = $12.17
Shallot (1/4 cup) = .12¢
RECIPES: an impressive turkey meatloaf pairs well with a nontypical, raw escarole salad
PREP TIMES: you’ll be able to eat the meatloaf within 2 hours; the salad comes together quickly, so you can eat it within 10 minutes
TASTES: cheese, mushrooms, leeks, garlic, and sage make a tasty meatloaf; escarole is lovely raw in a salad, when you make sure to make enough of that warm, bacon vinaigrette
Next time, I’ll take a vegetarian trip with the “Bean and Kale Ragu,” from Allrecipes.com, and the “Toasted Orzo with Saffron and Fennel,” from the June 2009 issue of Gourmet. Come back to my site on Tuesday, February 9, to see how lovely this meal is.
Recent Comments