Category Archives: Ketchup

05
Oct
Beef, For Chefs, Ketchup, Recipes

Meatloaf, An American Classic Comfort Food

Posted on by Dan Lowry

If your menu is ready to jump into the “way-back” time machine, Meatloaf is destined to be in your future.

How ground meats ended up molded, baked, then end up sliced on a dinner plate with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy we may never know.

And that most recipes have a baked on, sweet ketchup glaze is pure genius.

Many “oldsters” can remember their first taste of meatloaf being at an “old fashioned” lunch counter.

But what’s good is still good, and thankfully, meatloaf has stayed around for a long, long time.

It’s just not $.65 anymore.

Admittedly, there are so many different versions of this classic comfort food recipe that we’ve stopped counting but the general consensus is that among the ground meats is beef with possibly ground pork, veal (if you want to be more “gourmet”) and perhaps even ground turkey (if you’re a hipster).

In short, meatloaf is ground meats, egg, bread crumbs, some liquid and seasonings all baked in a free-form loaf shape or loaf shaped pan, thus, meat-loaf.

What we all need to personally decide on our own is; what meats, liquids, seasonings, (and Red Goose Spice has a pretty special one), or additional garnishments like vegetables are in this loaf and finally.

Even how many eggs.

Oh….and what about this ketchup thing? Well, you can add it both into the meat mixture and on top later, or, just on top. Another decision to make.

All of these variables and the amounts thereof, give you a number of possible outcomes only a math whiz might cipher.

So, if you don’t have a favorite family recipe, or, one passed down from a long-retired Chef mentor, we have a pretty much, straight down the middle recipe for you here.

One with 3 meats and a ketchup glaze.

We’ve chosen to give you a smaller size recipe here to allow the opportunity to experiment with it before you scale it up.

Classic Meatloaf with Ketchup Glaze

Makes One Large Meatloaf  9” x 5” x 4” or 6 Servings

1 Lb.          Ground Beef (Lean)

1 Lb.          Ground Pork

1 Lb.           Ground Veal

2 Cups        Dried Bread Crumbs

¼ Cup         Dry Parsley Flakes

4                  Ex. Large Eggs, Beaten

½ Cup         Milk or Half & Half

2 Cups        Onion, Chopped Fine

½ Cup         Green Bell Pepper, Chopped Fine

1 TBSP       Fresh Garlic, Chopped

1 Cup          Ketchup, Most Use Heinz

3 TBSP       Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP        Red Goose Meatloaf Seasoning

1 TBSP       Light Brown Sugar

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. then line a 9” x 5” x 4” loaf pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray it lightly with a non-stick vegetable spray.
  2. Combine the 3 meats, bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk onion, green pepper, garlic, 1/2 cup of the ketchup, 2 tablespoons of the Worcestershire, about 2 tablespoons of the Red Goose Meatloaf Seasoning. Using your hands, (or a paddle attachment on a mixer), mix together until well combined. It is important to knead it a bit until sticky so that the resulting baked meatloaf will not crumble when sliced.
  3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared meat loaf pan and make a slight indentation running down the middle rather than mounding it like a finished loaf of bread. (As the meat cooks, it will rise in the center anyway). Bake the meatloaf for about 40 minutes.
  4. After 30 to 35 minutes, remove the loaf from the oven. Stir the brown sugar together with the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup and 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce and brush the top and sides of the meatloaf all over with the mixture, being liberal.
  5. Return to the loaf to the oven and bake until the glaze starts to caramelize and a thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 160 to 165 F, about 25 minutes more.
  6. Remove the loaf from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
NOTES:
  • It’s best to place a second sheet pan underneath the loaf pan to prevent any juices from the loaf to make a mess of your oven.
  • This recipe works equally well with 3 lbs. of ground beef or, a half and half mixture of beef and pork.
  • The bread crumbs need to be the dry kind which is necessary to properly absorb the eggs and milk. You can choose between plain and Italian bread crumbs.Meat
24
Jun
For Chefs, Ketchup, On Spices, Recipes

Make Your Own Artisanal Ketchup

Posted on by Dan Lowry

Whether you call it Ketchup, or Catsup, this sweet and tangy condiment has become a culinary staple, and has found its way onto nearly every condiment stand from casual family restaurants, to fast food franchises, mall food courts, in ball parks and of course, in every grocery store from coast to coast.

And you can bet, that it’s also in nearly every pantry or fridge in America.

Yet, unlike many dishes that we enjoy while dining out, while also making our own versions of it in our kitchens, ketchup, (and we can say the same for mustard), is one food/condiment, that Chefs rarely make.

There are a couple of good reasons for this.

  1. Some Chefs, / kitchens, go through a lot of it. Not only as a straight up condiment, but as an ingredient in other recipes.
  2. Seriously, it’s hard to beat Heinz as a recognized brand, although many manufactures have created some pretty tasty ketchups of their own.
  3. Time, as in labor.

All that said, there is something to be said for the growing trend for authentic, Artisanal food products made by talented Chefs.

An example of this is Charcuterie, and quite often, Chefs go even one step further, by serving them with house made chutneys, jams or mustards.

An Artisanal ketchup might be looked at in that same way, and perhaps something offered only for signature grilled burgers.

Making your own ketchup gives you the opportunity for real bragging rights, if done well, and something which can showcase your individuality as much as any other signature dish on your menu.

Start small.

There are a number of opportunities for creative expression when making your own ketchup. They include:

  • Using fresh ripe tomatoes vs / tomato paste (or both)

  • Choice of sweeteners (Cane sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup or honey)
  • Choice of vinegar (typically cider or distilled)
  • Spices (onion and garlic are standard, celery salt creeps into some recipes and many “copy-cat” Heinz recipes include clove, allspice, cinnamon, ground mustard and cayenne pepper.
  • Thickeners, which range from none, to xanthan gum, cornstarch and Clear Jel.
  • And finally, the fineness of the finished puree.

As a result of all of these wonderful expressive options, the best course chosen by many Chefs, is to start with many small batches, get opinions, then scale up the recipe that they like the best.

To that end, we’ll offer here, a basic recipe for you to begin with and suggestions as to the additional spices you can add to make your perfect ketchup.

NOTES:

  • This recipe uses tomato paste, this basic recipe was chosen to address the need of Chefs to minimize their labor and also, because making ketchup from fresh tomatoes requires a very ripe (fresh) tomato which make preparing a larger batch increasingly problematic on a regular basis. It also requires passing the cooked tomatoes through a food mill or grinder to omit seeds and pulp.
  • Depending on how long you cook / reduce your ketchup recipe, it may be entirely unnecessary to add a thickener. As thickeners go, the better alternative, once the product has cooled, is xanthan gum, if needed. We have therefore not included an amount in our recipe.

Basic Ketchup Recipe

Makes about 3 cups

THE BASE

1 ½ cup            Tomato Paste

1 cup                 Light Corn Syrup or Honey (or a mixture)

1 Cup                Vinegar (cider, distilled or a mixture)

½  cup               Water

2 TBSP             Light Brown Sugar

2 TBSP             Kosher or Sea Salt

½ tsp                 Onion Powder

¼ tsp                 Garlic Powder

THE ADDITIONAL SPICES

½ tsp                 Celery Seed or Celery Salt (halve the above amount of Kosher Salt if Celery Salt is used.

½ tsp                 Ground Mustard

1/8 tsp               Ground Cloves

1/8 tsp               Ground Allspice

1/8 tsp               Cayenne Pepper

As Needed       Thickener (See Options)

 

Method:

  1. Into a medium sauce pan set over medium heat, add all of the ingredients.
  2. Stir or whisk until all ingredients are well incorporated and the mixture looks smooth.
  3. Once the ketchup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and stir often.
  4. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, being careful to not let it scorch. Red Goose sells an amazing Scorch Shield which is VERY helpful.
  5. Once cooked and reduced, remove from the heat, cover and allow to cool.
  6. If thickening is needed, the last step is sprinkling a little in at a time while vigorously whisking in or while in a blender or food processor, until you get your desired thickness.
  7. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.

Making Artisanal ketchup can be a very rewarding endeavor, and one that can truly differentiate your cuisine and impress your guests.