Book and Bowling, XL Beef Recall.

Yesterday I finished an excellent ebook called Willow Pond by Carol Tibaldi. The typing wasn’t perfect, but the story was very good. Its about the kidnap of a little boy who is missing for at least 18 months. Its very exciting in suspensful in places and one its difficult to put down. The book takes place during prohibition running into the depression years. One of the central characters is Victoria Kingsley who owns a speakeasy in New York – it is her niece Laura Kingsley who’s child is abducted. I can highly recommend it if you like crime stories. There is a paperback version if you don’t have a Kindle.

Also, yesterday, we bowled and I managed to stick it out for three games this time. Just as well as my third game was worth sticking around for which is more than I can say for the first two. Because it was a holiday not everyone was there, but four of our team were present. Also, the computers were down for some reason so we had to score manually. Haven’t done that for a year or two, however, I enjoyed it. I had able assistance from another team member who scored when I bowled. Apart from which, math is not my strong suit. Luckily the Thanksgiving parade was finished before we got to King St. so all was clear for our journey.

Wednesday lunchtime we are thinking of using our gift certificate and going to the Mandarin for lunch. We need a couple of things at Costco and they are near one another so we can kill two birds with one stone.
There has been quite a to do  here because of a meat packing/processing plant in Alberta which has not been properly safety conscious and has been sending out beef with E.coli bacteria. XL Foods have had to recall meat from all over the place including, we hear now, Hong Kong. There are 11 E.coli cases linked to the meat from this plant. There has certainly been a Canada wide recall and it has spread to the States and now, as I said, they are talking Hong Kong. I am not sure if it applies to all raw meat or only ground beef. I am assuming the rib roasts we bought the other day were NOT from XL Foods.

I really don’t much like meatloaf. I do make one recipe occasionally and Matt makes a turkey one now and again, but it is not a favourite of ours by any means. Certainly not on our list of comfort foods That being said, when I saw this recipe by Mario Batali, it appealed to me instantly. Of course check the source of your beef. I included the wine pairing as it happens to be a favourite of ours.

Meat Loaf Stuffed with Prosciutto and Spinach

Contributed by Mario Batali

Servings:8

This luxurious yet easy take on classic meat loaf gets stuffed with spinach, carrots, prosciutto and cheese. The vegetables can be leftovers, says Mario Batali: "Just make sure they're cooked long enough to be very soft—if they're al dente, the meat loaf will tear when you slice it and wreck your day." Mild and tangy caciocavallo cheese, made in Italy from cow's milk, is excellent in the filling, but provolone is a fine substitute.

1. 2 large carrots, each cut lengthwise into 6 slices
2. 4 cups spinach (3 ounces), thick stems discarded
3. 2 pounds lean ground beef
4. 2 pounds ground pork
5. 2 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
6. 2 cups freshly grated pecorino cheese (6 ounces)
7. 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
8. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
9. 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
10. 12 thin slices of prosciutto (4 ounces)
11. 1/2 pound caciocavallo or provolone cheese, cut into twelve 1/8-inch-thick slices
12. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
13. 4 sprigs of rosemary
14. 2 cups dry red wine
15. 1 cup water

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the carrots until tender, 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate. Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook just until wilted; drain well and add to the carrots.
2. In a large bowl, combine the beef with the pork, 2 cups of the bread crumbs, the pecorino, eggs, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper; mix well with your hands.
3. Line a work surface with a 15-inch-long sheet of plastic wrap. In a bowl, mix the flour with the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture all over the plastic wrap. Transfer half of the meat loaf mixture to the plastic and press it into a 12-by-10-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Lay half of the spinach leaves over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border on the short sides. Arrange half of the carrots over the spinach, and top with half the prosciutto and sliced cheese. Starting from the long end of the plastic wrap closest to you, tightly roll up the meat loaf, tucking in the filling and using the plastic wrap to guide you; discard the plastic. Repeat with another 15-inch sheet of plastic and the remaining bread crumbs, meat mixture, spinach, carrots, prosciutto and cheese. Drizzle each meat loaf with 2 tablespoons of oil.
4. Put the rosemary sprigs in the bottom of a broiler pan and pour in the red wine. Cover with the broiler pan grate. Set the meat loaves about 2 inches apart on the grate. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. Turn the broiler pan around and pour the water through the grate. Continue baking for about 35 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of each meat loaf registers 165°.
5. Transfer the meat loaves to a carving board and cover loosely with foil. Discard any cheese from the bottom of the pan and strain the pan juices into a small saucepan. Boil the pan juices over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour into a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper.
6. Using a serrated knife, slice the meat loaves 1 inch thick and serve, passing the pan juices at the table.

Make Ahead The unbaked meat loaves can be refrigerated overnight. Let return to room temperature before baking.

Suggested Pairing

A Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is an earthy wine that complements the rich flavors of the meat loaf and red wine pan sauce.

Have a great day