Meatloaf

Just Like Mom's



The urge to nostalgia seems universal. We are most aware of it when nostalgia for some aspect of our past becomes fashionable again as with automobiles like the Ford Thunderbird and Chrysler PT Cruiser. And whoever thought we'd see bell bottoms again? (Thank heavens paisley hasn't come back.)

Rituals and traditions are also nostalgia in disguise. The Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas Mass, even birthday parties reflect this desire to reconnect with the past. Lately, diners and diner food have become retro chic. My inclination is to celebrate this effort to taste again the foods we grew up with -- except that too often they are foods of the past in name only.

Baked whole-wheat rigatoni with gorgonzola cream sauce may be very good, but it's not mac-n-cheese. Avocados, bean sprouts, and turkey pastrami on five grain bread is not a reuben. And barley has no place in meatloaf.

I do confess to having tried a lot of variations in meatloaf over the years adding grated carrots or glazing with plum sauce or using rice for the filler. But the only variation from my mother's meatloaf that has become common in my recipe is making a free-form loaf and wrapping it in bacon. Well, and I usually skip the ketchup glaze, but then, so did my mother. And isn't that the ultimate description of a nostalgic dish: Just like Mom used to make.

Meatloaf

3/4 lb ground beef
1/4 lb ground pork
1 tsp oil
1/2 ea onion -- medium, chopped
1 ea egg
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp tobasco
1/4 c milk
2/3 c bread crumbs
8 - 10 slices bacon

Heat oven to 350F. Heat oil in a skillet and saute onion until softened. Set aside to cool.

Put meat, bread crumbs, parsley, and onions in a large bowl. In a small bowl mix together all moist ingredients and seasonings. Add to meat mixture and mix thoroughly, being careful, however, not to overwork.

Shape mixture into a loaf and wrap in bacon slices. Cook on a broiler pan for about 1 hour or until center registers 150F. Allow to rest at least 20 minutes before slicing.