Salisbury Steak

"Is it okay if I have another piece?" he tentatively asked, eyes longingly glued to the platter. 

"Sure, tattelah," Ma reassured him. 

From all the offerings on display that Shabbos lunch, he was yearning for the Salisbury Steak. Despite its title, it's more like a meatloaf (main ingredient: ground meat).

The joy of it is that there is no exact science; a little bit more, a little bit less of this or that does not alter the outcome. Added perk: Freezes and defrosts like a dream.

Salisbury Steak (a.k.a. Meatloaf)

I wasn't so artful with the glaze distribution.

1-ish pound ground veal

1-ish pound ground turkey

1 large onion, diced or sliced into thin half-moons

1 apple (unpeeled), chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 to 3 eggs 

1 cup breadcrumbs/oat bran or two slices soaked leftover bread/challah

parsley (fresh or dried)
dijon mustard, a healthy squirt or two 
hot/sriracha sauce, one squirt 

black pepper 
*nutritional yeast, a few shakes (optional)

Glaze: 
ketchup

brown sugar

*hot/sriracha sauce (optional)

*apple cider vinegar (optional)

*tomato paste (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. 

Sauté onions, apple, and celery for a few minutes to soften. Add garlic for the last 30 seconds.

Place meat in bowl, along with bread, parsley, mustard, hot sauce, and optional yeast. In separate bowl, whisk eggs and few shakes black pepper. Add onion, apple, and celery mess, as well as eggs, to meat mixture. Mix gently, until just combined (hands are great). Do not overwork the meat. 

In pan or pans of choice, gently form two loaves. Optional: drizzle a little olive oil on top. Pop in oven, uncovered. 

For the glaze: The glaze can be ketchup alone, or ketchup+brown sugar, or ketchup + brown sugar + shot of hot sauce. Can also add a splash of vinegar and/or spoonful or two of paste.
 

After 20 minutes or so, remove loaves and spread glaze on top. Return to oven. Baking times vary; some recipes call for an hour total, some hour and twenty minutes. Use intuition.