Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Meatloaf...fine dining style!

Sorry I missed my Monday Moments yesterday. I had a long day...including a clingy teething toddler that decided a nap was out of the question. As a result I decided she needed me a little more than all the things on my "to do" list. But to make up for my absents, I have some awesome recipes on the schedule for this week. Starting off with an amazing meatloaf!

I have my cousin Tabatha to thank for this one. She emailed me a couple weeks ago and asked if I had a recipe for Gorgonzola Meatloaf. I unfortunately did not. I'd never even thought about putting Gorgonzola in meatloaf, but I told her I'd do some experimenting and come up with one.

My husband and I both love Gorgonzola, so I knew this would be a fun one. I decided to pare the flavor of the Gorgonzola with other complimentary ingredients, like Dijon mustard, green onions and then top it with a balsamic glaze instead of the traditional ketchup or barbecue sauce. It turned out better than I had expected. I have to say, the richness of the cheese and balsamic glaze turned traditional "comfort food" meatloaf into a "fine dining" quality meal.

I served this with my Baked Mashed Potatoes and steamed broccoli.



GORGONZOLA STUFFED MEATLOAF WITH BALSAMIC GLAZE
(Mindi Original)

For the meat loaf:
12 ounces each: ground beef, ground turkey
4-6 green onions; diced (about ½ to 2/3 C.)
1 cup toasted Panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
4 T. Dijon mustard
3 T. Ketchup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4-6 oz. Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled or thinly sliced)

Serve with:
Balsamic Glaze (bottled* or see recipe below)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients except the Gorgonzola cheese. Do not stir until all ingredients have been added to the bowl.
3. Using your hands mix until the ingredients are well incorporated into the meat.
4. Divide the mixture in half. Take one half and form it into long oval/rectangular shape in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Form a small crater/divot in the middle of the meat.
5. Lay the sliced or crumbled Gorgonzola along the crater down the center.
6. Take the other half of the meat and cover the cheese and top of the meat loaf. Spray the entire meat loaf with cooking spray.
7. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until the meat reaches 165 degrees in the center. (One hour should be plenty. If you have a convection oven, it may take less time.)
8. When the meat loaf is done. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve drizzled with balsamic glaze.

BALSAMIC GLAZE

1 C. Balsamic Vinegar
2 T. brown sugar

1. In medium sauce pan combine the vinegar and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium high and allow to boil until the vinegar reduces to a syrup. About 5 to 10 minutes.

*I used to make my own balsamic glaze (recipe above) and it's a great recipe, but recently I found bottled balsamic glaze and I love it as well. It's so much easier when you don't have the time or don't want to deal with the mess. I buy my balsamic glaze at Walmart. It's in the condiment aisle, next to the vinegars etc...

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2 comments:

Shelby said...

I am definitely trying this! I love how different it is and that balsalmic glaze it the kicker for me! I will let you know when we have tried it!

Shelby said...

I came back to tell you I am trying this tonight. Now I'm tossing between your sloppy joes or this one. In either case, I'm making one of your recipes tonight! :)

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