Salsa Meatloaf with Tequila Canned Beans
Yield: 1 two-pound meatloaf, feeding 4-6 people, or two happy eaters for dinner with leftovers
Prep time: about 30 minutes to chop and sauté vegetables; 1 hour baking time
No special equipment or unusual ingredients necessary
Adapted from Jacqueline McMahan’s Hispanic American Meatloaf recipe in the San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook, Volume I
Please see notes for variations on ingredients.
For the meatloaf:
2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced. Use every part you can.
1/4 of a large carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 small red pepper, seeded and finely diced (I had about 1/2 cup)
a few slices of serrano pepper, if you like a spicy meatloaf
1-3 large garlic cloves (to taste), peeled and minced
3/4 cup minced parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fine sea or kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons New Mexico chile or other mild ground red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 cup fresh salsa or your favorite store-bought salsa (recipe for fresh salsa below)
2 eggs
I pound ground pork, organic if possible, with some fat
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs (I used panko)
For the salsa:
See Rick Bayless’s Tomatillo Braised Pork Loin to use tomatillo sauce. I had some leftover, and added two fresh tomatillos and a few slices of serrano pepper.
For fresh salsa:
2-3 small Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded or
4 whole canned Roma tomatoes, drained
juice of l lime
1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
chopped cilantro, to taste (optional)
1 small garlic clove, peeled and minced (optional)
salt
For the Tequila Canned Beans:
One or two 14 ounce cans of unsalted organic black beans (depending on how many you are feeding)
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice of 1-2 limes (to taste)
1-2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced (to taste)
1 shot of the best tequila you’re willing to cook with
ample salt
optional additions:
tomatillos, husked, washed, and quartered
chile pepper or other hot pepper
minced scallion
cumin
coriander
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
If you are making fresh salsa, begin here:
Halve fresh tomatoes, place on a baking sheet, and broil, skin side up, until lightly blistered. When cool enough to handle, either dice or process briefly in food processor or blender. Mix with other salsa ingredients. Taste for salt. You will need 3/4 of a cup for the meatloaf recipe. If any is leftover, either serve it with the meal, save for another time, or shamelessly eat it yourself. After all, you’re doing all the work.
Now the meatloaf:
Set your largest bowl and a low-sided roaster or gratin dish on the counter. Line the baking dish with foil.
Trim and mince the scallions. Peel and dice the carrot and red pepper. Prep the hot pepper, if using. Take care when handling hot peppers, washing your hands with hot soapy water before touching other areas of you anatomy, especially your contact-lens -covered eyes. Hot peppers vary in strength, so I always take a careful taste to judge how much I should add to a dish. Here, just two small slices of serrano were enough.
Peel and mince the garlic. Finely chop the parsley.
Pour a generous amount olive oil into 12-14 inch sauté pan: 1-2 tablespoons, depending on pan size. Bottom of pan should be generously covered. Heat to medium, then add the scallions, carrot, peppers, garlic, and parsley. Cook gently, allowing ingredients to soften rather than brown. Tip the pan’s contents into your large bowl.
Add salt, pepper, New Mexico chile or other red pepper, and cumin, salsa, and eggs to bowl. Blend with a large fork. Add the ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, and mix. I find my clean hands are best here. The mixture will seem a watery mess. Don’t panic. Do your best to form a long, low meatloaf. This permits even cooking.
Set the meatloaf in the baking dish and slide into the oven. Bake 55-60 minutes. Meatloaf is cooked through when your subtle check with a dinner knife reveals an interior that is completely cooked through. Rare is never a desirable trait in a meatloaf.
While the meatloaf cooks, make the beans:
Drain beans in a strainer. Rinse gloop off with warm water.
Place a 10-12 inch sauté pan over medium heat. Film with olive oil. Add the garlic and scallion, if using. Allow to cook briefly. Add the beans, salt, pepper, other spices, if using, lime juice, optional tomatillos, and tequila. While beans are ready when heated through, they only benefit from sitting over the lowest possible heat for at least 45 minutes, if you have the time. If pan begins looking dry, add liquid: water is fine. Chicken broth is lovely. If you have come into an inheritance or have a still, add more tequila. Is the meatloaf out of the oven? grab some of the delicious fat that’s pooling in the dish and add it to your beans.
Serve Salsa Meatloaf with tortillas, sour cream, your tequila beans, and additional lime. More salsa, if you haven’t eaten it up. Finely shredded cabbage or iceberg lettuce–you want crunch–would be wonderful. Fresh avocado would be nice,too. Thinly sliced white onion, quickly pickled in white wine or plain old vinegar makes another tasty addition.
Notes:
Scallions may be replaced with a peeled and minced medium yellow onion.
You can increase or decrease amounts of red pepper to taste. If you like green pepper, feel free to add 1/2 cup, finely diced. You can add hot pepper or eliminate it. I live with a person who isn’t fond of red or green peppers, so must tread lightly. Worse, he’s allergic to jalapeños, so I always use serranos instead. Feel free to use jalapeños if you like a spicier meatloaf.
The original recipe was written at the height of fat-free mania, and called for fat free ground turkey and lean ground beef. Use whatever ground meats you prefer. This said, I’ve found ground chicken throws off a lot of water–if you use it, you may need to increase the amount of breadcrumbs to one cup.
Meatloaf keeps refrigerated, well-wrapped, up to 3 days or frozen, well-wrapped, up to three months, though the salsa will lose some flavor.
Beans will keep, refrigerated, up to 3 days. Freezing would turn them to mush.