MEATLOAF FROM COMFORT FOOD TO CHIC PARTY FARE.

Byline: Cathy Thomas Orange County Register

Mom didn't know then, but back in the '50s, when she prepared meatloaf for weekday dinners, she thought of it as a cozy, utilitarian family entree. Little did she imagine that 40 years later, meatloaf would turn into a party dish - a menu item featured at some of the swankiest restaurants in town.

Mom envisioned it as a tasty vehicle for cleaning out the vegetable bin and tin-lined bread drawer. Maybe a few carrots, an onion or two, some celery and mushroom caps would be liberated from the back of the crisper and finely diced and quickly sauteed. Fresh bread crumbs were made with leftover heels of whole-wheat bread (Mom never would dream of buying white bread, no matter how much my brothers and I begged for it). An egg or two were added to bind the ground beef, sauteed vegetables and bread.

Sometimes she added grated zucchini, mashed or grated potato, garlic or a little cooked rice. Nothing was measured, and ingredients varied so much that it never seemed to be the same dish twice. She never used a loaf pan, preferring to gently pat it into a loaf shape in a baking pan, a technique that made it easier to drain off the excess fat. A mixture of tomato paste and a little Worcestershire sauce would be slathered on top just before it was placed in the oven.

Mom always made enough so that leftovers could be used in mouthwatering sandwiches for lunches the next day.

Along came the '60s, and, left to my own devices in a kitchen of my own, I started to add new flourishes to Mom's basic loaf. Inspired by a recipe for Beef and Cheese Roll from "The New York Times Menu Cookbook" by Craig Claiborne (1966), I made a basic meat and vegetable mixture similar to Mom's, patted it out on a piece of wax paper, topped it with slices of mozzarella cheese and rolled it up jelly-roll style. I was impressed; the melted cheese really dolled it up, making an interior spiral of melted mozzarella. I was 20 and thought I was on the cutting edge of haute cuisine meatloaf.

In the '70s, the addition of chopped fresh spinach along with plenty of dried herbs and spices seemed appropriate. Sometimes I generously covered the top of the loaf with strips of bacon. Why not? No one seemed to know about fat grams in the '70s.

The '80s brought an abundance of fresh herbs to supermarket produce sections; fresh herbs were delicious when rolled up along with the cheese; the cheese could vary from Jack, with or without chiles, to crumbled blue or Brie. Times were changing big time for Mom's good old meatloaf.

The '90s-style rendition is dressed for a party. The meat mixture combines Italian sausage with the ground beef. For a leaner version, ground turkey can be combined with Italian turkey sausage. Once again, the meat mixture is flattened out, but now it's stuffed with Danish Havarti cheese that seems to form a perfect harmony with the other filling ingredients - generous amounts of fresh basil, slivers of sun-dried tomatoes and paper-thin slices of prosciutto, a dried-cured Italian ham. When cooked and sliced, the colorful stuffing makes a scrumptious, eye-catching red and green spiral. It can be served hot or cold. If serving cold, slice it thinly and serve it on slices of toasted French bread topped with Parmesan cheese.

Variations can include a Mexican-style loaf that uses canned mild green chiles cut into wide strips, Jack cheese and chopped fresh cilantro as a filling. A French-style loaf uses a filling of Swiss cheese, fresh tarragon and sun-dried tomatoes.

Of course, whatever the variation, it's served on a bed of mashed potatoes. After all, it's the '90s.

MEATLOAF STUFFED WITH BASIL, CHEESE, PROSCIUTTO AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Here's the recipe for Meatloaf Stuffed With Basil, Cheese, Prosciutto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. For variety, try a Mexican-style loaf, using a stuffing with strips of canned chiles, thin slices of Jack cheese and chopped fresh cilantro. For a different approach with a Provencal touch, try stuffing the loaf with Swiss cheese, chopped fresh tarragon, roughly chopped pitted black olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

MEATLOAF:

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 tablespoon butter

1 small red onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces roughly chopped fresh mushrooms

Salt and pepper to taste

1 3/4 cups fresh sourdough bread crumbs (see Note)

1 1/2 pounds lean ground sirloin OR ground round (see Note)

3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and discarded

2 eggs

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme OR 1/2 teaspoon dried

FILLING:

3 ounces sliced prosciutto

1/2 pound thinly sliced Havarti cheese

1 1/4 cups thin strips fresh basil

1/3 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes, cut into strips

Sprigs fresh basil (optional)

For easiest handling, line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper. Foil will work, but remove meatloaf from pan within 4 to 5 minutes of removing it from oven, otherwise meatloaf may stick to foil.

For meatloaf, heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Add onion and cook on medium-high heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are softened and liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, mushroom mixture, beef, sausage, eggs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, thyme and pepper to taste. Gently mix by hand.

For filling, combine prosciutto, Havarti cheese, basil and sun-dried tomatoes.

Gently pat meat mixture into a 10x15-inch rectangle on 1 sheet of wax paper. With longer end facing you, place filling on bottom two-thirds of meat. As you roll up loaf, filling has a tendency to roll toward top, so leave that portion empty. Using wax paper as a brace, start rolling up loaf starting with edge closest to you. Be sure not to roll up wax paper in meat mixture. Once rolled up, seal ends and press down lightly to seal lengthwise seam.

Place prepared jellyroll pan adjacent to roll and transfer meatloaf, seam-side down, onto pan. Discard wax paper.

Bake, uncovered, on middle oven rack in preheated 350-degree oven about 65 minutes.

Serve hot or cold. If serving hot, cool meatloaf 10 minutes before cutting into slices. Serve with mashed potatoes (recipe follows).

If serving cold, slice cold meatloaf into thin slices and serve on thin slices of sourdough garlic toast topped with grated Parmesan cheese to taste. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

NOTE: To taste meat mixture after it is mixed together, pull out about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture and microwave about 1 minute or until cooked. Cool enough to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

To make fresh bread crumbs, tear bread into quarters and place in a food procesor fitted with a metal blade. Process until medium-size bread crumbs are formed. This process also can be done in a blender, but with smaller quantities.

If desired, substitute ground turkey for ground round and Italian turkey sausage for sausage.

If preparing meatloaf in advance, be sure cooked mixture is completely cool before blending. Refrigerate.

MASHED POTATO AND CABBAGE NEST

1/2 small head cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped into 1-inch lengths

Water

5 large baking potatoes, such as russets, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces

1 bunch green onions, trimmed and sliced, include about 1/2 of dark green stalks

Salt and white pepper to taste

1 cup grated Havarti cheese (4 ounces)

Grease an oven-proof platter or jellyroll pan with butter.

Cook cabbage in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, about 2 minutes. Scoop out cabbage and drain in colander.

Cook potatoes in same pot of cabbage water until tender. Drain and mash in a ricer or an electric mixer (not a food processor), adding pieces of butter. Stir in drained cabbage and green onions. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Spread mixture on prepared platter. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven until heated and cheese bubbles, about 25 minutes.

Top potatoes with slices of meatloaf, slightly overlapping slices. Serve immediately. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

NOTE: Can be prepared 2 hours in advance and refrigerated unbaked. Increase baking time by 4 to 5 minutes.

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PHOTO

Photo (Color) Meatloaf and mashed potatoes, no longer just a cozy family entree, is served in the swankiest restaurants and at chic dinner parties. Lorren Au Jr./Orange County Register