Okay, I don’t know about you, but I am pretty sick of all of the snow around here. I am not much of a fan of winter in the first place – it’s too cold and ever since I was sick it’s harder to breather in the cold and walk in the snow, and my feet hurt in the cold weather too. perhaps it’s time to think about relocating to a warmer climate! In the meantime, weather like this makes us all yearn for  comfort food, and in my mind there is not much more comforting than a meatloaf. If you follow the blog, you know I love it and I have tried various recipes all of the time, so when I came across this idea from Bon Appetit awhile back I was just waiting for the right moment to spring it out. I modified the original recipe a bit since they were really making it with the intent of sandwiches and I had a dinner, and I also added a couple of things on the inside of the meatloaf as well to round out the flavor and texture.

Hoisin Glazed Meatloaf

For the Glaze:

3/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

1 garlic clove, minced

For the Meatloaf:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 cups 1/2-inch cubes day-old crustless white bread (from 2 slices)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, peeled and diced

4 slices bacon, minced

1 1/3 cups thinly sliced scallions (dark green parts separated)

1 4-inch piece ginger, peeled, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2 eggs, beaten to blend

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

For the glaze, add the hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic to a medium saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens to a glaze, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

For the meatloaf, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using the vegetable spray, spray a cooling rack with spray and insert it into the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet and set it aside. In a large bowl, soak the bread cubes in the chicken broth, stirring frequently, until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the bread is beginning to fall apart, about 4 to 5 minutes. in a large skillet over medium heat, add the carrots, celery and bacon until the vegetables are tender and starting to brown and the bacon has rendered its fat and begin to crisp, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the scallions (the white and light green parts only), ginger and garlic and cook, stirring often until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

Combine the scallion mixture with the bread mixture in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the warmed and thickened hoisin glaze, the remaining scallion parts, the beef, the pork, the eggs and the Chinese five spice. Using your hands, work all the ingredients together until everything is very well incorporated and the mixture is beginning to get sticky. Form the mixture into a loaf shape and place it on the cooling rack inside the rimmed baking sheet. Cover the meat loaf with foil.

Bake the meatloaf in the foil for 30 minutes. Uncover the meatloaf and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the hoisin glaze over the top of the meatloaf. Place the meatloaf back in the oven, uncovered, and continue baking until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted into the center of the meatloaf, about 1 hour longer.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow it to rest for ten minutes before slicing and serving.

The flavors that you get from the unique mix of spices and the glaze for this meatloaf are very good. Everyone loved it and commented on liking the filling in the meatloaf with the carrots, celery scallions and bacon (Sean especially loved the bacon, of course) The original recipe does not call for the carrots and celery like this but I think they added a nice touch to the meat. We have had the leftovers for a couple of lunches as sandwiches and I have to admit it all tastes pretty darn good as a sandwich too. I’ll definitely keep this one in mind for a meatloaf recipe.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I have a lot to choose from to post, so I am not sure which one I will go with yet next, so you’ll have to wait and see. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, stay dry, warm and safe and enjoy your meal!