Depression Meatloaf Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S MEATBALL-INSPIRED MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion with a pinch of salt in hot oil and butter until onion is golden brown and soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat and cool onion mixture to room temperature.
• Place bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add milk and stir with a fork until combined. Let sit until all of the milk is absorbed into the breadcrumbs, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Combine ground chuck, cooled onion mixture, parsley, Parmesan cheese, eggs, 2 teaspoons salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Grab a handful of breadcrumbs and squeeze very gently to remove excess milk. Repeat with remaining breadcrumbs, transfer breadcrumbs to ground chuck mixture, and discard excess milk. Stir ground chuck mixture until evenly combined.
• Turn chuck mixture out into prepared baking dish, and shape meat into a 3x4x10-inch meatloaf. Pour tomato sauce over the loaf and into the bottom of the dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let meatloaf rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

DEPRESSION MEATLOAF

Steps:

• 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. In a large bowl, pour milk over the bread. Let stand until the milk is absorbed.
• 3. Add onion, salt and pepper. Stir with a fork until bread softens and is light and fluffy.
• 4. Mix in ground beef; stir in beaten egg. Shape into a loaf. Place in lightly greased baking dish.
• 5. Spread loaf with ketchup; top with bacon strips. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• 6. *The original recipe did not call for the egg; I think eggs were in short supply during the depression. Maybe the canned milk helps it hold together? Anyway, I added the egg to the recipe just in case I had inadvertantly not copied the recipe correctly!