flipFamily-style meatloaf
Family-style meatloaf
Why this dish? Raised in a middle-class Kansas family, Amelia grew up with classic American home cooking: meats, vegetables, and white bread. Meatloaf, economical and filling, is THE everyday dish of the 1930s, the one that simmered in the oven while she tinkered with her engines.
A loaf of ground beef bound with breadcrumbs and egg, flavored with onion, glazed with tomato sauce, baked slowly in the oven. The quintessential American comfort food, served in slices with mashed potatoes and green beans.
You see, I never made much fuss about cooking—I preferred taking apart an engine to peeling potatoes. But that meatloaf, Mother would pull it out of the oven and the whole house smelled wonderful. You mix the meat, some crumbs, an egg to hold it together, and off it goes into the oven. It's solid, it's honest, it doesn't need any fuss: exactly the way I like things. A modern woman doesn't have time to spend all day at the stove, believe me.
- •Ground beef — about a pound (base)
- •Stale white breadcrumbs — two handfuls (binder)
- •Egg — one (binder)
- •Onion — one, chopped (aromatic)
- •Milk — half a glass (moisture)
- •Ketchup or tomato sauce — enough to coat (glaze)
- •Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Family-style meatloaf
A loaf of ground beef bound with breadcrumbs and egg, flavored with onion, glazed with tomato sauce, baked slowly in the oven. The quintessential American comfort food, served in slices with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Why this dish? Raised in a middle-class Kansas family, Amelia grew up with classic American home cooking: meats, vegetables, and white bread. Meatloaf, economical and filling, is THE everyday dish of the 1930s, the one that simmered in the oven while she tinkered with her engines.
You see, I never made much fuss about cooking—I preferred taking apart an engine to peeling potatoes. But that meatloaf, Mother would pull it out of the oven and the whole house smelled wonderful. You mix the meat, some crumbs, an egg to hold it together, and off it goes into the oven. It's solid, it's honest, it doesn't need any fuss: exactly the way I like things. A modern woman doesn't have time to spend all day at the stove, believe me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ground beef — about a pound (base)
- Stale white breadcrumbs — two handfuls (binder)
- Egg — one (binder)
- Onion — one, chopped (aromatic)
- Milk — half a glass (moisture)
- Ketchup or tomato sauce — enough to coat (glaze)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Ground beef (15% fat) — 500 g (base)
- Breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs — 80 g (binder)
- Egg — 1 (binder)
- Onion — 1 medium, finely chopped (aromatic)
- Milk — 100 ml (moisture)
- Ketchup — 4 tbsp (glaze)
- Salt, pepper — 1 tsp salt, pepper (seasoning)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Soak breadcrumbs in milk for 5 minutes.
- Mix by hand the beef, soaked breadcrumbs, egg, onion, salt, and pepper, without overworking.
- Press into a loaf pan or shape into a loaf on a baking sheet.
- Spread ketchup on top.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the center is cooked through.
- Let rest 10 minutes before slicing; serve with mashed potatoes and green beans.
How it was made : In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, meatloaf allowed a small amount of meat to be stretched with breadcrumbs—hence its popularity. It was baked in a coal or gas oven, in a bread pan, and leftovers were eaten cold in sandwiches the next day.
The contemporary twist : Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce to the meat and serve as mini individual loaves: a "pocket meatloaf," a nod to the aviatrix's compact portions.
Amelia Earhart · Charactorium
