Meatloaf

From foodnetwork.ca, a beef/pork meatloaf recipe for the slow cooker. We ended up not getting it into the slow cooker in time and baking it in the oven instead, but despite winging it this turned out delicious. The recipe here is for the baked version.

Ingredients

• Loaf:
• 450mL fresh breadcrumbs
• 128mL milk
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5mL dried oregano
• 2 eggs
• 128mL chopped oil-packed sundried tomatoes
• 128mL chopped fresh parsley
• 128mL freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 2.5mL salt
• 2.5mL pepper
• 500g ground beef
• 500g ground pork
• Topping:
• 256mL grated provolone
• 32mL chopped fresh parsley
• 32mL chopped oil-packed sundried tomatoes

Procedure

1. Mix the breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl; set aside for ten minutes.
2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat; sautee the onions, garlic, and oregano until soft and golden brown, ~5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, tomatoes, parsley, parmesan, salt, pepper, breadcrumb/milk mixture, and onion/garlic mixture. Add the veal and pork, mixing with a wooden spoon or, if necessary, your hands.
4. Pour into a large baking dish. Cover with tinfoil.
5. The baking is a lot of guesswork; I ended up doing something like:
   - 40 minutes, covered, at 350°F
   - 20 minutes, uncovered, at 375°F; drain off the fat
   - 20 minutes, uncovered, at 400°F; drain the fat again
   but it could probably be made faster than that. At any rate, you want it 160°F in the middle and nicely browned on top.
6. Top with the provolone, parsley, and tomatoes. Return to the oven until the provolone melts.
7. Eat.

Pork Vindaloo

Another recipe from 660 Curries, one of several pork vindaloo variations. This one has a long simmering stage, but relatively few ingredients, simple preparation, and no marinating phase, making it easier to put together on the fly than the beef vindaloo.

The recipe as written calls for boneless pork loin chops. We didn't have any and I made do with a pork picnic roast. It turned out fine, but if you can get leaner pork to make this with, definitely do.

Ingredients

• 128mL cider or malt vinegar
• 15mL garlic paste
• 10mL coriander seeds, ground
• 10mL cumin seeds, ground
• 5mL coarse salt
• 5mL cayenne
• 1mL ground turmeric
• 1 medium sized red onion (or two largish yellow onions), cut into 1cm cubes
• 64mL raw cashews
• 750g boneless lean pork, cut into 2cm cubes
• 128mL unsweetened coconut milk
• cilantro for garnishing

Procedure

1. Whisk together the vinegar, garlic paste, coriander, cumin, salt, cayenne, and turmeric.
2. Heat some canola oil in a pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the onion and cashews and cook, stirring, until the onion starts to brown and the cashews are toasted, 5-8 minutes.
4. Stir the vinegar to mix it up and then add it to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vinegar has mostly evaporated and the spices are clinging to the onion chunks.
5. Add the pork and continue stirring until it's seared all over, about a minute.
6. Deglaze with 128mL water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the pork is cooked through and fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
7. Increase heat to medium and add the coconut milk. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.