Not
your grandmother's Meatloaf!
Tasty
meatloaf enhances the quality of life!
Pat Feibicke of East Quogue, New York,
is considered an expert, of sorts, on
the fine art of meatloaf. Currently a
schoolteacher on Long Island, she has
worked as a line cook and food prep
specialist. But her real love is
meatloaf, as indicated by her Web Site,
The Meatloaf Pages. I'm going to sit
back and let Pat explain what makes
meatloaf so special, so American:
"Meatloaf
has traditionally been looked at as
"poor man's food". There have been
attempts to elevate this meal to a more
elegant form. It can take on a new
shape and become more modern. Meatloaf
has also traditionally been 'comfort'
food. Meatloaf sits warm and full after
a hard day's work. Some consider it to
be hubby's dinnertime favorite, as well
as other popular American analogies. I
would choose my Little Neck Parkway
Meatloaf. It quintessentially asks the
average local citizen to save up their
meat scraps, grind it up (deli-style)
and make a tasty meatloaf meal out of
it, and as cheaply as possible. We find
this conglomerate meatloaf at
delicatessens all over, from state to
state, served up at lunchtime as a
rectangular portion smothered in beef
gravy. Mashed potatoes on the side is
always a plus."
Little
Neck Parkway is located in the borough
of Queens, ten minutes outside of the
island of Manhattan, on Long Island,
New York.
Little
Neck Parkway Deli-Style Meatloaf with
Gravy
1
lb ground beef
1/4 lb ground turkey roll or breast
(easy to grind coldcuts in a small
processor)
1/4 lb ground chicken roll or
breast
1/4 lb ground bologna
1/2 lb ground roast beef
4 Steak-Ums thin sheets - optional
ingredient
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
5 tb milk
2 eggs
3/4 tb Maggi or Bovril beef
flavoring
3/4 cup minced onion
(optional)
Mix
all ingredients together in a large
bowl. Put the mixture into a meatloaf
pan and cover with foil. Bake at 375
degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove foil. Let the meatloaf sit for
10 minutes before slicing and lathering
over with lots of your favorite beef
gravy. Serves 6-8.
Quick beef gravy: 2 TB Maggi and 2 TB
Wondra to 1 cup of water. Heat and stir
till thickened. Add black pepper to
taste.
Says Pat: "The ingredients might be
expensive for some culinarians. I
bought the 4 deli meats on sale for the
following amounts":
1/4 lb of each:
German Bologna $.96
Sliced Turkey Breast cold cuts (should
be turkey roll) $1.84
Sliced Chicken Breast cold cuts (my
deli didn't have chicken roll)
$2.40
Sliced roast beef $2.32
Optional:
4 Steak-Ums 60 cents
1
lb of hamburger meat is about $2.00.
You're up to $10.00 right there. This
is why it is important to seek out cold
cut "ends" if your deli owner will
oblige you, or save up your own scraps
as you go along.
