Meatloaf for Breakfast!!!

We are finally at the end of the roasting section of Alton Browns first cook book. The last application is another meatloaf. I want to clear a couple things up. I like meatloaf, including the ones I usually make and my mom's as a kid. I kind of like the idea of putting whatever I have in the fridge with some type of meat and make it a loaf. Its very 1950's in my mind. I like my meatloaf firm and with a nice crust on the outside. I even like the Adam Sandler song, "meatloaf sandwich". I did not enjoy the last Alton Brown meatloaf that I made. It was soggy, greasy and yucky. Ketchup could not even save it. I was terrified to try ANOTHER meatloaf recipe from AB. I was thinking I just did not have the same mother as AB, or at least the same mother's meatloaf but he has saved the day with this breakfast meatloaf. Even though I did not serve this for breakfast it did definitely said breakfast all over it. This is a Turkey and Fig Breakfast Meatloaf.

The first step is to make a reduction of white grape juice. I put it into a saucepan and brought it up to a boil and then let it reduce to 2 Tbsp. Please, PLEASE watch this. The first time I did this part, the stomach flu decided to hit our house mid boil and I burned the hell out of the sauce. So much that it took 4-5 times of soaking, boiling, vinegar, and even a google search to figure out how to get it off of the pan. This of course is not good eats. In fact, I am pretty sure it was inedible charcoal! I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture of it I was so mad! So after the pukes was cleaned up and I took a deep breath, I started again. Please, PLEASE do not leave the stove if you choose to make it.

The best part of this recipe is that I literally just throw everything into a bowl and mix. The first ingredient was figs. Dried Figs. I have never eaten figs... fresh or dried. I think they basically taste like all other dried fruit. Maybe a cross between cranberries and raisins. I finely chopped these and added to them to the other ingredients.
These ingredients include ground turkey, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, dried thyme, nutmeg and ginger. I also loved that I had all of these ingredients in my house besides the figs. I truly think this, along with soups, is what meatloaf is all about. Another way to use up extra ingredients in your fridge.
If you are a meatloaf lover or even have made meatloaf before you will note one ingredient is missing that I thought was a standard on every meatloaf. The incredible, edible egg!!!! So what is the binder in this recipe. I am not sure the science behind it but I suspect that it is the grape juice. By reducing it, it becomes thick and makes the meatloaf stay together. My other concern was that turkey can become dry and with no flavor because there is not a lot of fat in turkey. This also was not a problem at all as you will see. I created 2 little loafs on parchment paper and put it into the over at 400 degrees.
The recipe called for cooking it about 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature was 155 degrees. In my oven this took more like 35-40 minutes. I also was determined to make a yummy crust on the outside of the meatloaf with NO sogginess. After it was finished I let it sit for 15-20 minutes to "set" or rest before slicing. I thought they looked really pretty and crusty!
I served with roasted new potatoes with Italian seasoning on top. Kind of like breakfast potatoes/ hash brown. Here is the finished product.
It was by far one of the best and unique meatloafs I have ever had. I did eat it with ketchup but really wanted a runny egg to eat with it. It most definitely has even a sweet taste from the figs. Even a little maple syrup would be good with it. This definitely is NOT my mothers meatloaf but very good and definitely could be used for a "breakfast for dinner" meal. The meatloaf was moist with lots of flavor and stayed together despite no eggs in the recipe. Overall an AWESOME dinner.

Next technique is frying. I better get my running shoes ready!!!

Tomato Heaven

We are almost done with the "roasting" portion of this book and this could not come at a more perfect time. It has been cold here in Arizona. OK, so cold by Arizona standards... Sorry Alaska folks. Soup is something I have learned to love over the last couple of years. Very hardy and perfect for all of those leftovers in the fridge. Chicken stalk, carrots, and that last piece of celery you just can not make another ants on a log with. Soup is the perfect vessel to get rid of all that stuff. And in this case tomatoes. I have attempted to grow tomatoes in my back yard and have failed multiple times. I was successful once with cherry tomatoes but could you imagine how many tomatoes it would take to make a soup. OK so on to the post. Tomato soup... Not a fan. I really have only had the kind in the can so I guess I have not had that much experience anyways. First step in this soup is tomatoes. I halved 20 Roma tomatoes and put them on a cookie sheet.

Drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, salt, sugar, black pepper and Italian seasoning. It called for fresh herbs but by the time I finally made the recipe the herbs did not look good in my fridge. :)
Into the oven at about 9pm at night at 170 degrees for 10 hours. GOOD NIGHT!!!! The next morning was promised (by the recipe) to smell like Provence. It did not. :( But once I pulled the tomatoes out of the oven, they did smell good.
These tomatoes can be used for salads, soups, risottos, pizza or spaghetti sauce. It can even be put into the refrigerator for a month and in the freezer for 6 months. The next recipe was roasted tomato soup so I opted for that application.

I started with my favorite stock pot with oil, red bell pepper, onions, garlic and salt over medium heat.
These were saute until soft and tender which took about 15-20 minutes.
After the "aromatics" were soft, I added the tomatoes, chicken broth and a little bit of balsamic vinegar and brought to a boil. Turned the heat down to a simmer and let it simmer for 20 minutes. During the simmering process every couple of minutes I would use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes even more. This 20 minute simmer ended up being 1 hour because I was outside watching my 4 year old ride his bike which always ends up being longer than anticipated.
This is the end result after simmering for 1 hours. By the way, it smelled really good. I could especially smell the balsamic vinegar which was surprising because I only put in 2 tablespoons.
I removed the soup from the heat and placed the soup in a bowl ready to strain.
There are multiple ways to make a chunking soup smooth including a blender or a stick blender but I choose a food mill. Do you know what it is? It's a hand crank device that you turn the soup through a grader (kind of like a box grader) and it makes the soup a nice puree. I had originally got this to make baby food years ago but ended up using a blender at that point. The reason I choose the food mill here is that it removes the skin of the tomatoes well where the others do not.
After 5-7 minutes of turning, I had an AWESOME tomato soup. It was so flavorful and smooth. No chunks which I enjoyed. It did not taste like the tomato can soup I had had in the past. I was planning on adding cheese or sour cream if it wasn't good but it didn't even need it. The funny part was that it totally tasted like it had some cream base but it didn't, making it a health soup as well. Of course I served with a traditional grilled cheese sandwich which we used to dip the soup with. Even Reagan and Ryan ate the soup with the sandwich. Overall it was a hit.
Next spring I will attempt to grow tomatoes in my back yard so I can make this again and again with my bountiful supply of tomatoes. (I am trying to will a successful crop) If you have any suggestion on how to make tomatoes grow let me know. The last application for roasting is another meatloaf. (Can you hear the groan) See you soon.