I could do a complete story on my relationship with Trader Joe’s which opened not too long ago very close to us in the city. I know my daughter-in-law does a fantastic job of putting meals together using Trader Joe’s marinated meats and prepared dishes. I admire her so much but it’s not my kind of cooking. What I love about TJ’s are the prices for organic foods and salads. I’m intrigued by some of them as I had not even been aware of some of them until now. Into that category, I would have to add Broccoli Slaw.
Broccoli is a super food and loaded with anti-oxidants. Here it comes so ready-to-go, it’s irresistible. So when I found a recipe in Bon Appetit that was centered on the stuff, I had to try it. And at the risk of sounding like Sandra Lee, it’s so simple to use and a really nice contrast to the very garlicky meatloaf.
Garlic was not something I grew up with. My grandmother Stewart positively whinnied whenever garlic was mentioned. My father tortured her every Sunday by claiming it would be the main event at our family dinners. My grandmother was born in a small town in New Brunswick where I doubt there was much exposure to the bulb. Since her father was the member of Parliament for the district, she spent over half the year in Toronto when the legislature was in session. Now Toronto may be a reasonable place to eat now, but I can quite promise you it certainly was not then. So where this loathing of the ‘stinking rose’ came from I’ll never know. I certainly didn’t inherit it. That being said, Melissa’s meatloaf is best left to garlic lovers. And even then, you might want to cut back a little. Here’s the recipe:
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, garlic, scallions, jalapeño, sage, salt and black pepper.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together bread crumbs and stock, cream or milk. Let stand five minutes.
3. Add pork, beef and soaked bread crumbs to egg mixture. Knead ingredients together until just combined. Press mixture evenly into an 8- or 9-inch loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, whisk together the tomato paste and olive oil. After meatloaf has finished baking, brush top with glaze; sprinkle with pine nuts, if using. Bake 15 minutes more (glaze will be thick and a meat thermometer should read 160 degrees). Let meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Recipe for Broccoli Slaw courtesy of Bon Appetit
Should I use Panko or regular bread crumbs?
I love Panko but I used them here because they were on hand. I think you could use fresh bread crumbs and achieve a terrific result.