Hungarian Meatloaf

Who doesn't like meatloaf?  If you are not a vegetarian or vegan, this is comfort food in many cultures.  This meatloaf is sort of  like scotch eggs.  The top gets a slightly crisp texture from the caramelized spices too. 

Everyone has their favorite meatloaf recipe.  I like this one because it's very taste and not overly salty.  There are multiple flavors in here. 

You can make this with meats you choose.  This time used pork  and turkey.  I added pork because it adds a nice flavor to turkey.

The quantity of spices are guides, I usually judge visually.

1 pound ground turkey

1 pound ground pork

¾ of a can of organic tomato paste

½ red onion

1.5 tsp Italian Seasoning (I use Glorioso's)
1/2 teaspoon authentic Hungarian paprika for the meatloaf mixture (will sprinkle more on top)

1.25 cups bread crumbs

2 uncooked eggs

1.5 tsp or so of Worcester sauce

½ tsp salt

½ tsp red pepper flakes (just sprinkle)

Generous sprinkling of garlic powder

3-4 boiled eggs

freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tbs finely chopped parsley

½ cup of chicken stock

Preheat oven at 375 degrees.

Sauté chopped onion, set aside

In a large bowl mix everything (but the boiled eggs) very thoroughly Spray very sparingly the meatloaf pan with cooking spray

Gently lay out half the meat loaf mixture and line up peeled boiled eggs (just short of each end)

Place the rest of the meat mixture on top and pat to make it into a loaf form

Sprinkle the top of the meatloaf (slightly generously) with:

Hungarian red paprika

Freshly ground pepper

Sprinkle with a small amount of Smoked Spanish paprika and roasted garlic powder (I get both from Penzey) also on the top

Bake on 375 for about 1 hour and 20 minutes (check with meat thermometer).

Slightly tip the meatloaf pan and hold the meatloaf in place with a spoon and tilt to drain any fat rendered.

Let it rest for at least 10 minutes - if you don't, it will fall apart.

Remove from pan (I do it by placing a plate on top of the pan and turning the meatloaf pan).

Enjoy with some traditional side dishes like mashed potatoes and gravy.

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Asian Fusion Noodles with Smoked Tofu

Warm weather and more activity make me crave some healthier alternatives with a more refreshing flavor theme.  This dish has multiple influences: 

1.     Some new delicious spices I acquired at Penzeys Spices.  There is a Penzeys Spices 10 minutes from my house and I finally got a chance to stop there.  This store is heavenly.  Jars of fine spices to smell-a foodie’s aromatherapy.  Also, their cumin is not cross-contaminated with peanuts (some other brands are).  Penzeys Spices smell and taste delicious.  

https://www.penzeys.com/

2.     A local ramen restaurant called Tochi-they blend some great flavors.  Their Smoked Miso ramen is delicious (all their ramens are).  The tofu is smoked and the broth is a great blend of flavors.  My goal was not to replicate the flavor, but to produce a flavor that is in the same family.  Asian fusion is one way to describe this flavor.

http://www.tochimke.com/

3.     Vegan Black Metal Chef – his videos are truly inspiring.  He has some great and easy techniques to add flavor to tofu and sauces and other vegan dishes. The preparation and videos are motivating. His technique of dredging tofu in flour  and pan frying results in a great textured and flavorful tofu.  Valkyries and warriors feast on tasty and healthy food too.  After all, they need to be around for Ragnarok. Watch his YouTube videos for inspiration.

http://veganblackmetalchef.com/

Recipe:

Note:  This looks like a lot of ingredients.  It is, but you can lay out all the spices on the counter and add as you stir fast.

Tofu (prefer Wildwood Sproutofu – super firm)

Sliced carrots (4-5)

1 large red onion cut in half then sliced

2 tbs. chopped garlic

2 tbs. chopped ginger

½ pack of oriental style noodle size S Erawan (cook 6 minutes and rinse with cold water to prevent from cooking further)

water chestnuts slivered

baby corn chopped in 1/3

Colgin Liquid Smoke

1 tsp. Smoked Spanish Paprika

¼ tsp Hungarian Paprika

¼ tsp. Orange peel (dried)

½ tsp. roasted garlic spice

¼ tsp. chilli powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp.  chili garlic sauce

2 tsp. black bean garlic sauce

2 tsp . hoisin sauce

¼ tsp sugar

2 cups organic chicken stock – vegetable stock if vegetarian (have to just visually watch)

2 tsp. corn starch with a little water – slurry

flour to dredge marinated tofu in

Canola oil or another oil with a high smoking point

Marinate chopped tofu for at least one hour in:

1 cup  Olive Oil

¼ cup liquid smoke

½ tsb garlic powder

¼ tsp sugar

¼ tsp corn starch

½ tsp Smoked Paprika Spanish Style

(mix ingredients in a bowl-put tofu in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over it and gently work it in).

You can cook the carrots separately to speed up the cooking

Dredge tofu in flour and pan fry. 

Toward the end of the frying process, sprinkle some smoked paprika on top.

You can also bake the tofu on 400, but pan-frying tastes the best

Add Oil to the wok and heat

Use a wok and fry onion for about 8 minutes

Add mostly cooked carrots, baby corn, dried orange peel, slivered water chestnuts and chopped ginger, fry for about 4 minutes

Add chopped garlic and stir for one minute

Add smoked Spanish paprika, Hungarian paprika, and Asian sauces

Stir, let it cook for a few minutes and add chicken stock, 1 tbs liquid smoke, 3 tbs of tofu marinade

Bring to a boil, and thicken with cornstarch slurry

Add roasted garlic

Add cooked rice noodle – gently mix (to not break the cooked rice noodles)

Add tofu and gently mix and serve and eat fast (rice noodles have a tendency to absorb liquid fast).

Marinate super firm tofu

dredge marinated tofu in flour

Pan fry in oil (you can also bake but this is the optimal flavor)

These spices are essential

another delicious spice I discovered

Pan fried tofu

Note the onion is almost caramelized-red onions are the best for this type of stir frying

after adding chicken stock - before thickening

Lots of spices and flavors - true fusion

The result (note: the onion are slightly caramelized)

don't let the number of these ingredients intimidate

the firmest tofu and more nutritious than most

This size seems to work well

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Bold Baking of Buche de Noel

Buche de Noel (you can add decorated frosting)

This blog is partially becoming my tool for me to remember what I create in the kitchen and how I created it.  I often refer to my blog for some recipe or technique that I used before.  This of course requires that the blog entries have enough information to create the item.  That level of information can be time consuming to add to the blog, so I occasionally skip the detail and I conceptually blog about some great dish without adding the recipe.  

I planned to make this Yule Log (Buche de Noel) the night before Christmas Eve and frost it the next day.  I spent some valuable family time and it was midnight before I was ready to bake. I first looked at my blog, which only had pictures, but no recipe of the cake.  I quickly pulled up a recipe online and started making it. After robotically measuring 3 cups of flour and blending it with salt and baking soda, I realized that this recipe was way off.  Three cups of flour with six eggs does not sound right.  So I frantically (now 12:30 AM) googled and rushed through all kinds of recipes.  One called for cornstarch; I never use cornstarch in my cakes.  Somehow, by combining various recipes, I created the buche de noel cake part and rolled it up to cool overnight (now 2 AM).  During this process I also thought I misplaced two egg yolks in the separation process (but didn’t see it in the drain) so I added two more yolks. Later, I realized that  nothing was misplaced, instead the imagined discrepancy was due  to panic combined with fatigue.  Consequently the cake ended up with two extra yolks which led to a very yellow and tasty cake.  The  buche de noel was a success.

I do not want to repeat this panic night again. Baking is not something one can improvise (or the dreaded cake fall or cake break during the roll can happen).  Some on social media were also asking me for the recipe after seeing photos of the finished product.  So I decided to remake this cake during the holiday season so I can write down the recipe and photograph the process. 

Next year I will not have to panic at 1 AM; at least not about Buche de Noel.

[See my prior posts on Buche de Noel also:  Buche de Noel Overview and decorations]

Beat the yolk until thick

This is the the right consistency (fairly thick)

six egg whites

after beating with formed peaks

Fold the beaten whites into the yolk - make sure you keep incorporating air

The baked product (it's done when it springs back) - sprinkle with powder sugar to prevent sticking

achieve this by placing a cookie sheet topped with the cloth over the baking pan and flip

Very carefully remove the parchment paper, if you rush, you can rip the cake

More powder sugar

fold cloth over

remove cookie sheet from bottom

Very patiently roll the cake

let it rest for a few hours (I actually did overnight and it was fine)-this forms the cake to roll

For cake:

Recipe - Buche de Noel (Yule Log)

6 eggs + 2 yolks

½ cup plus 2 tbs granulated sugar divided in two (the ½ cup and 2 tbs)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

¼ tsp cream of tartar

½ cup cake flour

Powder sugar

Parchment paper

Clean Kitchen rag (not terrycloth)

Jelly pan

  And…

Hope (relating to the cake not breaking as it’s being rolled up, unrolled, and then rolled again-that’s three risk points).

 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 11x10x1-inch jelly roll pan. Line bottom with parchment paper; butter and flour parchment paper also and knock out excess flour.

Separate 6 eggs

Beat yolks (8), ½ c. sugar, vanilla and large metal bowl until lemon yellow-high speed about 5-8 minutes sift half of flour over yolks and fold it in gently. Then sift rest of it in. I actually just beat the flour in at a low speed it also works.

Beat egg whites  (6) with cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form.  Beat in 1 tablespoons sugar half a tablespoon at time until peaks hold.

Add egg white to egg yolk, make sure air is incorporated (add in parts).

Spread batter in prepared pan evenly. Bang the pan once against counter to remove bubbles.  Bake until top springs back, about 10-14 minutes.  Sift powdered sugar over towel and top of cake. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cake. Turn hot cake out onto towel with cookie sheet under it (with oven mitts). Peel off parchment. Starting at  long side and using towel as aid, gently roll up cake jelly-roll style. Cool.

Unroll cake, frost and  re-roll cake; place cake, seam side down, on platter. 

Roll (long side away) with towel.  Let sit so the cake molds into a rolled shape

Careful unroll from towel

Fill with frosting

Roll back

Take a diagonal slice off to serve as trunk – stick on the frosting and frost

Make lines to resemble a tree

Carefully put on a large serving platter that has been dusted with powder sugar

Sprinkle powder sugar over the frosted cake to resemble snow.  In prior years I have made white frosting so I can create green, white and red frosting pieces to resemble the forest (leaves, mushrooms, berries).  I skipped that step.

For frosting I used a slightly fluffier variation of my mocha frosting recipe (listed in this blog) and the second time this season I made a rum chocolate frosting (chocolate and rum are a great flavor combination).

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