I hate to admit this (and shudder to think of what this says about me and my values) but it’s true: when I think about the exciting and even exotic places I have visited, my most vivid memories are almost always of the best meals I had there. When I think of the beautiful and charming city of Prague, the very first thing that comes to mind is not the gorgeous opera house or the Charles Bridge or Prague Castle or the Jewish Cemetery. . . but rather the meal of roasted pork and bread dumplings that I had in a charming restaurant in the heart of downtown Prague…. or the McDonald’s meal I paid for with my ATM card (the first time I’d done that in a McDonald’s anywhere). Of course, if I think for a moment of two, I can savor memories of the gorgeous opera house or the Charles Bridge or Prague Castle or the Jewish Cemetery. . . which ultimately matter much more to me . . . but it’s still those meals which come to mind first. Embarrassing but true. (Just so you know how I’m wired.)
The last time Kathy and I visited Disney World we paid our first visit to the Disney-MGM Studios theme park, which has something spectacular on every single block…. but my most potent memory (by far) is of the spectacularly delicious meatloaf we ate at the 50’s Prime Time Cafe. We were in the company of our good friend Mike Kurhajec, a Disney employee at the time – and we ate there on his advice, and it was as close to a religious experience as you can have in a restaurant with the decor of “Leave it to Beaver.” The food was utterly amazing- and the next day, when I came across Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs in a bookstore and found the recipe for the incredible meatloaf which a couple of us had eaten, I bought it with visions of us making this dish at least once a week.
Well, real life almost never works out that way, and it was just last night – 21 months later – that we finally made Ma’s Meatloaf ourselves – and because of the Disney connection, it seemed right to have Polly, Mark and Lorelai over to enjoy it with us. Kathy, of course, did the cooking – all I contributed was general cheerleading plus setting the table, complete with a little Mickey Mouse figurine perched in the middle of the centerpiece, for a bit of added atmosphere. And it was wonderful- one of those rare occasions when something actually managed to live up to our sky high expectations. And here is the recipe, in case you’re curious:
2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
4 large eggs lightly beaten
1 cup season bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp coarsely cracked black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil to 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pans
In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, cracked peppercorns, and salt – just until well blended; do not overmix.
Divid the meat mixture in half, shape into 2 loaves, and place in the prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the internal temperature taken with an instant-read thermometer is 155 degrees.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and the remaining 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Bursh the meat loaves with the ketchip mixture and bake 10 minutes longer.
Remove the meat loaves from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
Try not to eat it all yourself. Remember that Mickey’s watching.
(I added that last part.)