Photo by Cindy Gomez

Meat Cake

By Cindy Gomez
Staff Writer

For everyone who is watching the snow melt away and the lilies and tulips begin poking out of the earth; spring in the Fargo-Moorhead area has arrived. As much as our hearts yearn for spring, however, we know we have to get through “flood season” first.

With the flood comes hard back-breaking work. As much as we want to begin thinking about spring gardening and spring foods, we cannot help being focused on our flood work. This time of year, flood efforts consume so much of our daily lives that there’s little time for anything else, including eating. But, now—more than ever—is the time to take care of our tummies and our hearts. That’s why HPR brings you some comfort food that’s easy to prepare and essential to healing our bodies and our souls during trying times.

No, it’s not HotDish; it’s meatloaf. Meatloaf doesn’t have to be the “afterthought” meal that’s prepared on the run. It’s a dish that, if done right, can be the main event of the most sophisticated meal. Yet, the ingredients are readily available, and the recipe is easy enough that you can prepare this hearty meal for your tired, flood-ravaged family, without much effort. This dish is primarily comprised of ground beef, a veggie mix commonly used in many American and French foods called a Mirepoix (pronounced Meer-eh-Pwah), which is made up of celery, carrot and onion. And red wine. 

The best part of this dish is that it has lots of veggies that kids don’t even see hidden in the meatloaf. One of the pickiest eaters in the world, my four year old nephew Ezra, calls it “Meat Cake with Ketchup Frosting”. If that’s not comforting after a day of sandbagging, I don’t know what is.

Here’s what you will need to make HPR’s Meat Cake with Ketchup Frosting:

Ingredients
3 medium carrots (peeled and chopped into small cubes)
3 celery stalks (chopped into small cubes)
1 medium onion (peeled and chopped into small cubes)
1 Lbs ground beef (80% lean)
1 Tbls of tomato paste
2 Tbls of olive oil
½ C. bread crumbs
1 egg
½ C. red wine
3/4 C. reduced sugar ketchup (reserve ¼ cup for garnish)
Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare, simply take your mirepoix of veggies and saute them in the olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until the veggies are fork tender and beginning to caramelize. Add your tomato paste and saute with the veggies for two minutes. Then, deglaze your hot pan with ½ cup of red wine, letting the veggies soak in the juices and making sure to scrape all the tasty bits of caramelized veggies from your pan. Reduce the liquid from the wine to half, then remove from the heat and let cool. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Next, place your ground beef, egg, ½ cup of ketchup in a bowl and mix. Add cooled mirepoix and wine sauce, ½ cup of bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste. Then, turn your meat cake mixture into a 8-inch baking dish, garnish with your remaining ketchup and bake for 30 minutes or until meat juices run clear and a toothpick comes out clean from the center of your loaf. Serve with baked or mashed potatoes and indulge with a nice glass of red wine. This comfort food will keep you sane during flood season, and give you enough energy to tackle the next day!

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