Dinner tonight - or last night.

I'm contemplating cooking my very first meatloaf soon ... been cheeking out lots of recipes online.
Does anyone have an absoluter killer recipe?
One that makes dinner guests swoon with pleasure?
(Yes, I know this is the absolute wrong time to ask folk in the northern hemisphere! )

I made fresh tuna on the grille(my buddy went out tuna fishing on Friday nd got two nice ones and he shared with friends). I did this up with "hobo packs" of fresh peas, mushrooms and sliced sweet potatoes as a side. Mrs F made a blueberry pie. She got the blueberries from a "pick em yourself farm" near us (she bought them in the " already been picked" fridge).
Everything in the veggie packs came either fresh from our garden or fresh from less than a few miles from us. The fish came off the continental shelf and the blueberries from a commercial organic farm less than 3 miles away.
The on;y thing "boughten" was the wasabi oste for the fish, and the Pillsbury pie crust (Mrs F was in a hurry to work in the grden all day)

Freh tuna has such a mild taste and could have been eaten like on big hunka sushi

The secret in really good meatloaf dinners is the accompaniments. I always like fresh shelled peas boiled in butter (simple is best with veggies) AND mashed potatoes (no box stuff). Then there should be a slice of the loaf on te tater mound with a generous dark gravy.

Course the other meatloaf way is a tomato based sauce with side salad and garlic bread.

Oh that sounds so good, farmer!
And very, very healthy!
Yum.

Thank you!
As a complete & utter meatloaf novice, I will take your advice on board!

Schnitzel (sp?), we had schnitzel last night. It war good . . .

Meatloaf?

To begin with, we will need to know what type of meat/s you plan on using.

Ideas from the past are found here:
http://able2know.org/topic/10167-1

http://able2know.org/topic/10980-1 ...I have done one similar to this, except we called it the Rutland Meatloaf.

The main thing to remember (for me at least) when cooking the meatloaf is to settle it on bread. Double layer the bread for the best results. The bread serves two purposes. First it keeps the loaf from frying at the bottom as it sits in drainage and second it offers tasty (if nearly deadly) bread to chomp on at snack time (or whenever you want).

When preparing a meatloaf, you need to decide what elements are most enjoyable for you and your diners. If you have a thing for onions then you can go a little heavier there, if you want a punch in it, then chili or some hot sauce will help.

Be daring. Be brave and experiment. Don't be afraid of the bottle of Worcestershire sauce, it can add an interesting element.

For myself, that last statement is why I don't have a standard full recipe meatloaf. I begin with much the same elements every time (2 parts of ground beef to 1 part ground pork) and move forward from there according to what is available. Requirements always include plenty of onion. 1 large onion chopped, and 1 large onion thin sliced.


As to time tables for meatloaf in the northern hemisphere, there's never a wrong time. In this day and age of air conditioners, a meatloaf can be cooked in the hottest part of summer without sacrificing comfort. Additionally, a cold meatloaf sandwich can be just the thing on a hot night. Especially if there are some sliced raw onions on it.

Thank you very much, Sturgis.
Much appreciated!

I am going to read through those 2 threads, while considering your particular suggestions, too.

As a rank beginner, it sounds like there are many, many variations, all of which are sworn by, by those who make them & eat em!

Interesting, very interesting.

Reporting back.
It was very good! (too pooped to make a salad or vegies to eat with it, though ... & quite a bit left over for tomorrow.)
I'd say a score of 7 1/2 out of 10.
Though not nearly as good as farmer's grilled fresh tuna, I'll bet!

Glad you enjoyed.

Now you see that to me was an odd dish as I would never have considered fish in lasagna.

It's one of those el quicko "week night recipes", Sturgis. (Though I made quite a mess preparing it! )
But it worked!
I'll post you the recipe later, if you'd like.

I look forward to it!

Oh good.
Is tomorrow OK?
Fading fast here.

Tomorrow or at any time you get the chance.

Vodka chicken with capellini at a local chain restaurant. Haven't had that in a zillion years.

Here ya go, Sturgis.
See if you can follow this.
It's a lot simpler to make than it looks!

Seafood Lasagne

• 350g (3/4 pound) firm white fish or a combination of fish & shellfish.*
• 2 spring onions
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 400g (a bit more than 14 oz) spinach lasagne (or plain lasagne if that’s all you have)*
• ½ cup grated mozzarella

Cheese Sauce

• 50g (almost 2 oz) butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 cup grated tasty cheese (mature cheddar)

Method:

- Remove bones & cut fish into thin strips (or use fresh fillets)
- Trim & slice spring onions
- Mix fish, spring onions, lemon rind, lemon juice & pepper together.
- Oil a lasagne or ovenproof dish
- Cut a sheet of lasagne to fit (or use enough smaller sheets to cover the bottom)
- Spread a 3rd of the fish mixture over the lasagne*
- Top with a layer of lasagne then a layer of cheese sauce.
- Repeat layers until the ingredients are all used, finishing with a layer of the sauce.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 180C (350 F) for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden

Cheese Sauce

- Melt butter in a saucepan (smallish pot)
- Add flour & cook, stirring, until frothy.
- Remove from heat & gradually add milk, stirring after each addition.
- Return to heat & cook until mixture boils & thickens.
- Stir in tasty cheese.


* I used a NZ fish, blue grenadier, because it was on special, but any white fish fillets would be fine.
* I used Barilla “instant” egg lasagne sheets, but soaked them in hot water till they we softened before using.
* The number of layers of fish, cheese, etc will depend on the size of your baking dish. I use a larger one, so 2 (not 3) layers of fish & cheese.
Just make sure you leave enough cheese sauce for the top!

~

Thank you msolga, I will see if I can put that together in the not so distant future, it doesn't appear too complicated (although I'm sure I could make it so). Thank you for the tip on soaking the noodles first.

Most of us try to prepare meals that don't end up in a need for denture repair. Perhaps we can give you some cooking ideas?

looks like someone lifted that entertaining piece of spam

I quite liked it