Spicy meatloaf,anyone?

Here's a delicious meatloaf recipe that I stumbled upon but to add some Asian flare,I kicked up the spice level in it and hey presto.....a delicious spicy meatloaf.Now,here's something I never had before moving to the US.My mother who came from a devout Hindu background didn't eat red meat as cows are seen as sacred animals in the religion.So,we never had beef.Well,I didn't but I know my brothers would sneak in a Big Mac or street vendor beef burger( Ramli Burger) every so often....Yes,brothers I knew! So,I learned the goodness of meatloaf when I had my first one about 4 years ago...Can't quite remember where I had it and I have had my variety of good and bad meatloaf so here I am now,with my own blend and as I love spicy foods,I've managed to sneak that into a classic American dish.
Anyway,here's the recipe.


Spicy Meatloaf 


You'll need:


1 cup  Onion(finely chopped)
1 Celery rib(finely chopped) *A celery rib is individual portion of a celery.when you break off a piece,thats a rib
1 tbsp minced Garlic
1 Carrot(peeled and chopped finely)
1/2 cup Scallions (use 1/2 cup onion as a substitute)
2 tbsp unsalted Butter
2 tsp Salt (use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using Italian sausage)
1 1/2 tsp freshly Ground pepper
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup Ketchup
1 tsp Sriracha* hot sauce or any other Asian chilli sauces sriracha hot sauces can be found in the Asian aisle major grocery chains or at an Asian specialty store
1 1/2 lbs Ground Chuck*Ground chuck comes from the shoulder and neck area of the cow and has immense flavoring and 15-20%fat
3/4 lbs Spicy ground pork sausage or Italian sausage (a mix of sweet and hot if you are using links)
1 cup Fresh bread crumbs*
2 large Eggs (slightly beaten)
1/3 cup Fresh curled parsley leaves (minced)

Ready to be chopped

Sauteed carrots,celery and onions

Method:

Ready to be baked meatloaf.I made a big one and a baby one

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large heavy skillet cook the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and scallions in butter, over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet and stir occasionally until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce,1/3 cup of ketchup and Sriracha hot sauce. Cook for 1 more minute. In a large bowl,remove sausages from casing and combine the meats, eggs, vegetables, bread crumbs, and parsley. Form into a loaf and put into a rectangular baking pan with 2-inch high sides. Cover the loaf with remaining ketchup. Bake the meatloaf in the oven for about  an hour. Make sure the internal temperature is between 160-170 degrees F. To do this,you'll need a kitchen or meat thermometer.

Dinner is served!!It was super delicious.

Serves 4 to 6, with plenty for leftovers for delicious meatloaf sandwiches for lunch the next day.

Oven toasted bread for crumbs

*To get fresh bread crumbs,you can toast a store bought bread of your choice(french,whole wheat, chiabatta,italian) for 15-20 minutes till its brown.


This recipe is for a spicy meatloaf so if you prefer not having as much spice,you can make this recipe without using the hot sauce.The spicy italian sausages have a little kick of spice to them..not enough to burn your mouth.So,enjoy trying this recipe out and do let me know how it goes.

My little boy enjoying his meatloaf dinner and boy did he devour that.

With love for food and you,

Renu