meatloaf for comfort

i've tried a few different methods for meatloaf (my mother-in-law does hers in a crockpot, i think my mom used to-- or still does-- add beans, mainly i just try to copy other people's recipes while dumbing them down to half-assed when at all possible.) and this is by far the easiest and best. it'so easy, in fact, that i made it last night after i had surgery on my arm. okay, THAT was a shameless, exaggerated ploy for sympathy. ihad an out-patient procedure at my dermatologist's office, but STILL. it huuuuuuuuurts.

ahem. meatloaf. i meant to make-ahead this one but after seeing saw vi on sunday i was reall in no mood to handle raw meat.

ingredients:

• ground beef (or "meatloaf meat") about 1 pound for every 4 people
• 1/2 a can of tomato paste for every pound of meat
• 1/2 a white onion for ever pound of meat
• 1/2 tsp italian seasoning for every pound of meat
• 1/2 tsp salt for every pound of meat
• 1 egg for every pound of meat

prep:

• dice onion in about 1/2 inch chunks
• preheat oven to 350*

actual cooking:

• combine ingredients (i use a mixer, ina garten uses a fork, you can feel free to use your hands, but, gag.)
• (if your meat is very, very lean, lightly grease the bottom of your small roasting pan)
• form into a loaf, wider than it is high
• bake for an hour

canadian bacon & carmelized onion fritatta

(how fantastic is the evening light in my kitchen? love.)

mimi bought me a cast-iron skillet so i don't have to flip my fritattas anymore-- now i can just shove them under the broiler for a couple minutes to finish cooking the top. there's so much you can do with a cast-iron skillet, it's amazing. cornbread is traditionally made in one and it's great for a cobbler or one-pot meal, too. it's a huge pain in the ass to clean, though. scour with coarse salt? no soap? ugh. fortunately, we're accustomed to washing dishes without soap since something, something, blah, blah, blah no soap in the beer glasses!

okaaaay. recipe.

ingredients:

• several slices of canadian bacon (or ham, whatever you keep around)
• 6-8 small red potatoes
• 1/2 an onion
• 4-5 eggs
• canola oil
• sea salt & ground pepper

prep:

• slice canadian bacon & onion into matchsticks
• slice potatoes
• beat eggs

actual cooking:

• put a generous splash of oil in the skillet
• add potatoes
• cover and allow to cook until slightly browned
• add onions
• allow to brown slightly
• add candian bacon
• salt & pepper to taste

• add eggs

• reduce heat, cover
• cook until set
• put under the broiler for 5 minutes (or so) to finish the top

serves two or three, can be doubled or more, but you might have to cook the potatoes in batches.

fritatta is the dish that turned bill to eggs. it was his idea to add the onions, here, and he was totally right. fritatta is making, um, a comback, i guess because it's so "recession-friendly." it's been in all the magazines lately being all hip and new. which it's totally not. but it's still good.

recession challenge: dinner for two all week from one ham steak

for my next trick, we'll be enjoying a ham dinner, a ham fritatta, pasta e fagioli and a lovely zucchini risotto.


ingredients:

• i pound ham steak (i paid ~$7)
• 4 potatoes (~$1.60)
• 2 medium/large zucchinis ($3)
• 1 3/4 cup rice (negligible-- pantry staple)
• kidney beans (~$2)
• veggie stock (~$2)
• chicken broth (~$2)
• crushed tomatoes (~$2)
• 4 eggs (like... $1)
• mirepoix (~$3)
• an onion (negligible, $0.69 per pound, i think.)
• butter (pantry staple)
• veggie oil (pantry staple)
• scratch cheese (pantry staple)
• 1/2 pound ditalini or other smallish pasta-- NOT noodles (~$1 a pound)

total here is less than $25! we'll probably add a frozen veggie to meal 3.

prep:

• chop the mirepoix
• divide ham steak in 3 sections for meals 1, 2 & 3 (or 4 for all 4 if it's bigger)
• shred portion of ham for meal 2
• chop portion of ham for meal 3
• slice 1 zucchini
• (butter for baked potatoes?)

actual cooking (meal 1):

• warm the ham through-- do not overcook
• bake potatoes
• saute sliced zucchini

actual cooking (meal 2):

• saute mirepoix in a medium/large pot with veggie oil for about 10 minutes or until golden
• add canned tomato
• add veggie broth and bring to a boil
• add ham
• add well-rinsed kidney beans
• (add water if there's not enough liquid to boil the pasta)
• boil pasta as directed (8 minutes, i think)
• season with salt & pepper to taste

actual cooking (meal 3):

• slice & lightly fry 2 potatoes in veggie oil
• drain
• beat 4 eggs, add ham & season with salt & pepper
• pour eggs & ham into pan over potatoes
• cook, gently pulling back edges with a fork to allow egg to fill in
• (if you have a fritatta pan, you'll close it and flip the fritatta and ta-da! all done. if you're using a cast-iron pan, you can stick it in the oven to cook the top. i've used a pie plate and baked it all the way with little success.)
• once bottom is very well cooked and secure, gently transfer fritatta to a plate
• then transfer it back to the pan upside down to finish cooking

actual cooking (meal 4):

• boil chicken broth
• saute chopped zucchini & onion in 2 tbs butter
• add uncooked rice to the pan, saute briefly
• slowly, 1 cup at a time, add boiling broth to the pan allowing it to completely absorb before adding more (until rice is done to your liking)
• stir in 1 tbs butter & scratch cheese
• (enjoy with ham, if you have some left)

i haven't made the risotto or fritatta yet (i'll edit the recipe if necessary after i do), and we haven't eaten the pasta e fagioli yet, but it looks wonderful. the upshot to this little series is that we're eating really good and for pretty cheap (or, at least, on a budget). next week we'll have sausage, which is cheating because my daddy makes our sausage so i have no idea how much sausage costs. the week after will be turkey breast, which i also have no idea what i paid for because i bought it in november. there's also a pound of bacon in my freezer, so i'm wondering how many different things i could do with that.

edited to add: i missed the scratch cheese in the risotto the first time through! i used two slices of finely chopped asiago. we also put asiago on the pasta e fagioli. we like asiago. bill had the genius idea to add sauteed onion to the fritatta, and it was really perfect. so try that. about 1/2 and onion.

this has been tons of fun so far, which is hysterical because this is, you know, how people ate before convenience became our religion.

veggie fried rice

this is a per-serving recipe. i can't think of any reason not to multiply the number of people (+ at least two, for safety) by the amount of each ingredient. if you have a big enough pan, that is.

ingredients:

• 1/2 cup leftover (or chilled) rice
• 1/2-3/4 cup mixed veggies, chopped (i used a frozen blend form trader joe's [organic foursome] 1/4 of a small onion and 3 asparagus spears)
• 1 egg
• canola oil (a spray is ideal)
• soy sauce

prep:

• cook your rice yesterday

actual cooking:

• spray a medium-sized frying pan (at medium-high heat) with canola oil
• add veggies, stir
• add rice, stir
• (spritz with oil)
• add a drizzle of soy sauce to taste
• cover and let the flavors blend (two minutes, tops, and make sure everything's well lubricated)
• push rice mixture to the sides of the pan (basically, make a very big well)
• spray pan with oil
• pour in scrambled egg
• scramble the egg alone until almost done, then pull in rice mixture

believe it or not, it is very important to salt your rice water, but not too much, or this dish is really bland-- even with the soy sauce. and a small note on veggies: the organic foursome is perfect with julienned carrots, corn, peas and chopped green beans, onion is pretty much a must and asparagus is just yummy. i've also enjoyed veggie fried rice with mung sprouts, brussel sprouts, broccoli and a bunch of other veggies i'm forgetting. be creative!