Hello!
How have you been? I just ate half my weight in pistachios and I’m feeling a bit queasy. But other than that, I’m quite excited about the end of the year. It has been a rough 8 months in many ways for many people, but I’m hoping that we’ll be able to have (quiet) holiday festivities before we say goodbye to this year.
For now, I’m sitting in my bedroom in Kannur, and I have a cooking show playing on Youtube, and there’s a few promising rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightening. Some rain would be a relief.
Mum is in Mangalore, and it’s her birthday tomorrow! If you’re so inclined, you can wish her by sending her a message here. I’m sad not to be able to spend her birthday together, but we’ll just have to do a repeat of the celebrations when she’s back.
For now, I want to celebrate her by remembering all the terrific food she has brought into our lives over the years. There’s the chicken and rice casserole that brought much joy on many a school night, these here ginger nuts that were an absolute treat, these prawn buns that made regular appearances on our iftaar table, and of course, the green harissa chicken which sparked, what I suspect, will be a life long love affair with roast chicken. To this list, I also want to add a recipe that we have been wanting to post for years but just never got down to. Meatloaf is a childhood favourite, and every time I eat it now, it takes me back to lunch break in school, sitting in the sunshine with my friend Harsha, and trying to hide our lunch from the kites circling above that would swoop down and snatch half-eaten sandwiches right out of our hands.
Anyway, even without the threat of having to share your food with hungry kites, a meatloaf sandwich is perfect. It is surprisingly easy to make, and one of those dishes that your future self, when hungry and foraging through the fridge, will thank you for.
Recipe: Meatloaf With Spicy Glaze
Ingredients
3/4 kilo beef boneless cubes
1 medium onion, cut into 4
2 slices of bread
1 red chilli
1 egg
2 tsp black peppercorns
3 cloves of garlic (optional)
1/2 cup milk
Salt to taste
For the glaze
2 tsp ketchup
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Method
In a food-processor or a mixie, grind the ingredients for the meatloaf to a fine paste.
Add to a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan that has been greased.
Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you insert a fork.
Meanwhile mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl.
When the meatloaf is cooked through, take it out, brush the glaze on, and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes.
Store leftover in the fridge.