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Wolfenoot Feast Idea - Easy version
7 years ago
Dragonwuff Musings
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With the upcoming Wolfenoot holiday, Vrghr has been sniffing about for ideas for the special feast. Per the holiday description, the meal should be "roast meat, because wolves eat meat."
Of course, Vrghr wanted to do something typically "over the top", as many of wuff's recipes are. But a lot of folks would love to celebrate without quite so much time and effort. So wuffy decided to do both an easy form, and one of his more typical creations.
This is the easier one. And what could be more iconic of a meat dish, and easy to create, than a Meatloaf?
Of course, wuffy couldn't just toss out ANY meatloaf recipe. Vrghr has a few standards after all (difficult as they may be to figure out).
Then Wuffy found the initial recipe for this from one of his favorite online chefs; Chef John of Food Wishes (on Youtube).
This started as his "prison meatloaf", but Vrghr had to add some of his own twists to it.
This would also be known in some circles as a "depression era" meatloaf.
Both stem from the same idea - - Add a LOT of filler to stretch the result to feed a lot of folks while cutting the cost.
However, this also has the benefit of creating one of the juiciest and most tender meatloafs you'll ever have the pleasure of sticking in your muzzle! So don't let the "prison" or "depression" stuff scare you off!
Vrghr also kicked up Chef John's original recipe to bring in even more of wuffy's favorite flavors, and of course, it now includes BACON!! It ought to create a fabulous centerpiece for your Wolfenoot feast!
Give this one a whirl! (NOTE: Wuff hasn't made this in his own kitchen yet, so no photos. Hence, no post so far in Vrghr's gallery of "food porn." But worry not! It will be added there as soon as wuff can snap some images of it. Still Vrghr wanted to get this recipe out for all those furry cooks interested in a dish for Wolfenoot. So this Journal goes out first!)
(Italics indicates where wuff deviated from Chef John's original dish.)
Chef John′s Prison (Depression) Meatloaf – Vrghr style
Ingredients for 1 giant meatloaf (about 10 large portions):
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb fresh (crimini) mushrooms, diced & sauteed in butter and garlic powder
2 pounds ground chuck (1 lb chuck, ½ lb ground breakfast sausage, ½ lb ground bacon)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
cayenne to taste
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 large eggs, beaten
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (about a packed 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 cups very dry white bread crumbs (not toasted!)
1 1/2 cups milk to soak (squeeze out excess) (Substitute ¾ C milk, 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce, ½ C beef broth, ¼ C tomato sauce instead)
3 or 4 cups of tomato sauce to bake in, optional (Use 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce. 1 tsp Liquid Smoke, 1 TBS Soy Sauce, 1 C Beef Broth, 1 C mild Salsa, 1.5 C Tomato Sauce, ½ C Ketchup instead)
Directions:
Mix bread crumbs with soaking liquid (See Vrghr's changes) and let rest for at least 20 minutes. Squeeze out extra liquid before adding to meat mixture.
Saute the onion in olive oil and butter with salt until nearly golden. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms give off all their moisture. Add the garlic and cook for another couple minutes until fragrant (DO NOT BROWN the garlic). Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature
Add all the remaining ingredients to a large bowl and mix together, then mix in the cooled sauteed veggies and soaked bread crumbs. Mix everything together thoroughly
Form into a large loaf in a large baking dish about 4 inches deep
Cover with the tomato sauce Whisk the glaze ingredients together and cover with the loaf with the glaze
Bake in a 325 degree oven until internal temp reaches 155 (about 90 minutes). Allow to rest about 10 minute. Slice into serving portions and drizzle over some of the extra glazing sauce from the baking dish
!DEVOUR!
And Happy Wovenoot to you! AWOOOOOOO!
Of course, Vrghr wanted to do something typically "over the top", as many of wuff's recipes are. But a lot of folks would love to celebrate without quite so much time and effort. So wuffy decided to do both an easy form, and one of his more typical creations.
This is the easier one. And what could be more iconic of a meat dish, and easy to create, than a Meatloaf?
Of course, wuffy couldn't just toss out ANY meatloaf recipe. Vrghr has a few standards after all (difficult as they may be to figure out).
Then Wuffy found the initial recipe for this from one of his favorite online chefs; Chef John of Food Wishes (on Youtube).
This started as his "prison meatloaf", but Vrghr had to add some of his own twists to it.
This would also be known in some circles as a "depression era" meatloaf.
Both stem from the same idea - - Add a LOT of filler to stretch the result to feed a lot of folks while cutting the cost.
However, this also has the benefit of creating one of the juiciest and most tender meatloafs you'll ever have the pleasure of sticking in your muzzle! So don't let the "prison" or "depression" stuff scare you off!
Vrghr also kicked up Chef John's original recipe to bring in even more of wuffy's favorite flavors, and of course, it now includes BACON!! It ought to create a fabulous centerpiece for your Wolfenoot feast!
Give this one a whirl! (NOTE: Wuff hasn't made this in his own kitchen yet, so no photos. Hence, no post so far in Vrghr's gallery of "food porn." But worry not! It will be added there as soon as wuff can snap some images of it. Still Vrghr wanted to get this recipe out for all those furry cooks interested in a dish for Wolfenoot. So this Journal goes out first!)
(Italics indicates where wuff deviated from Chef John's original dish.)
Chef John′s Prison (Depression) Meatloaf – Vrghr style
Ingredients for 1 giant meatloaf (about 10 large portions):
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb fresh (crimini) mushrooms, diced & sauteed in butter and garlic powder
2 pounds ground chuck (1 lb chuck, ½ lb ground breakfast sausage, ½ lb ground bacon)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
cayenne to taste
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
2 large eggs, beaten
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (about a packed 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 cups very dry white bread crumbs (not toasted!)
1 1/2 cups milk to soak (squeeze out excess) (Substitute ¾ C milk, 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce, ½ C beef broth, ¼ C tomato sauce instead)
3 or 4 cups of tomato sauce to bake in, optional (Use 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce. 1 tsp Liquid Smoke, 1 TBS Soy Sauce, 1 C Beef Broth, 1 C mild Salsa, 1.5 C Tomato Sauce, ½ C Ketchup instead)
Directions:
Mix bread crumbs with soaking liquid (See Vrghr's changes) and let rest for at least 20 minutes. Squeeze out extra liquid before adding to meat mixture.
Saute the onion in olive oil and butter with salt until nearly golden. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms give off all their moisture. Add the garlic and cook for another couple minutes until fragrant (DO NOT BROWN the garlic). Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature
Add all the remaining ingredients to a large bowl and mix together, then mix in the cooled sauteed veggies and soaked bread crumbs. Mix everything together thoroughly
Form into a large loaf in a large baking dish about 4 inches deep
Cover with the tomato sauce Whisk the glaze ingredients together and cover with the loaf with the glaze
Bake in a 325 degree oven until internal temp reaches 155 (about 90 minutes). Allow to rest about 10 minute. Slice into serving portions and drizzle over some of the extra glazing sauce from the baking dish
!DEVOUR!
And Happy Wovenoot to you! AWOOOOOOO!
Friends had a small wolf pack, it was common to find them digging up the tubers around the pond and eating the roots. Fresh carrots were like candy to them too. Tat the alpha female got into Connie's garden and ate about two feet of a row of baby carrots ... She waddled around for a day like she did when she was carrying pups. Poor girl... after that she didn't try to get into the garden... She would still eat carrots but only a few bites Shuk and Baker the males would enjoy them too.
Vrghr might just work up something using carrots for a side dish for the Wolfenoot feast, in honor of the lady wolf and her binge in the carrot patch. *smiles*
The "wolves eat meat" quote comes from the young lad who invented the Wolfenoot holiday idea. A 7 year old from "down under" in New Zealand. According to him, the holiday has the feast and "a cake decorated like a full moon." There are also gifts given by the Spirit of the Wolf who hides them around the house (sorta like Easter Eggs) for everyone. And people "who have, have had, or are kind to dogs get better gifts than anyone else." *Grins*
Naturally, Vrghr HAS to join in on this celebration on the 23rd of November.
All the wolves loved carrots, they are also good for them. Wolves and most sled dogs need vegetable matter in their diet to be healthy. That's why many times you will see them eating grass... I have noted that they are picky about the grass they eat. One they are fine with and another they bring everything up. All of mine liked clover.
Also I have wholemeal bread crumbs that I dried myself, they're not toasted just dry... would they be okay in this recipe in your opinion?
https://wolfenoot.com/
https://boingboing.net/2018/10/01/c.....the-new-w.html
Those breadcrumbs sound like they would work out really well! The idea is for them to soak up all the liquid 'til they won't absorb anymore. They should plump up significantly. Then you wring out the excess so they arn't dripping wet, and add them to the mixture of the meat and onions/mushrooms. This brings a lot of juiciness back to the loaf (along with more flavors, since wuff subbed in a few items for just plain milk), and since the bread is much softer than meat, it also adds a great deal of tenderness.
Bon appetite! And hope this turns out well for you! *HUGS*
Do you think it could be adapted to be vegan? My daughter's vegetarian, and it would be fun to make one of these together that she could enjoy.
Not sure how a meatloaf would work as a Vegan dish. Have never tried one using Textured Vegetable Protein. No idea how well it would hold together, or what the texture would be like after cooking. But you could try making a "test size" version using TVP like this stuff:
https://smile.amazon.com/Textured-V.....dp/B06XP68NLH/
Note: While TVP resembles ground beef, most have very little flavor of their own. So you're going to want to bring extra flavor from your add-ins.
For the "meaty taste", you could add a lot of mushrooms or mushroom powder, or perhaps some Japanese "umami powder", which has soy, seaweed, mushrooms, and similar items in it. Soy sauce would also bring some good meaty-umami flavor.
If you can handle a bit of spice, you could bring some zesty flavors that way too, from some minced Jalapeno, Fresno, or similar peppers. Just remove the stems, seeds, and internal membranes to keep the heat lower. Some of the Adobo Sauce from canned Chipotle peppers would also go well, but be cautious as that stuff gets spicy, quick!
Of course, onions and garlic are always good staples. You'd likely want to kick those up more over just the sauteed veggies with the inclusion of some garlic and onion powder in the loaf itself. You might want to also blend up some canned, drained Black Beans into the mix for their earthiness.
Make sure not to use the beef broth mentioned, but a good veggie broth would be a good sub. Maybe some garlic broth with it?
Worcestershire sauce would be nice in there too, but read the label carefully, as many contain anchovies. You can definitely find Vegetarian versions of it though. Should be on the label.
And, if your sister allows milk products in her diet, there are good cheese options that not only have some good sturdy flavors, but are nice and sticky and can help bind the loaf to sub for the way the meat proteins and eggs help 'glue' things together.
Lastly, there are some interesting Vegetarian Meatloaf recipes out of the net that would be helpful for ideas of how much and what combinations of ingredients and flavors that have worked before. Perhaps you can find inspiration there too?
Hope this was some help!
Bon Appetite!
V.
Will be posting that recipe on the Journal next. Haven't roasted it yet, so no pictures, hence no Gallery post. But the recipe should be useful
Looking at a Hoisin-Bourbon glazed, Bacon-wrapped, Mushroom-stuffed butterflied and rolled Pork Loin roast with a Bourbon Creme sauce. *grins*
Think that'l satisfy a hungry wuffer?
NEVER TRUST A SKINNY COOK!
HUSSAH!
V.