Friday, July 29, 2011

50 Women Game-Changers in Food - #8 Judith Jones - Frenchified Meat Loaf



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love tales told by those who are the power behind the throne. Those stories are especially delicious when they are told by people who have compelling stories of their own to tell. Judith Jones, the book editor who brought the likes of Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, and Madhur Jaffrey to print, is such a woman. Her work with these and other authors has changed the way we write and think about the food we eat. Her publishing career career began at Doubleday where she saved The Diary of Anne Frank from the rejection list. She later moved to Knopf where she saved Mastering the Art of French Cooking from a similar fate. Her stellar culinary roster was matched by literary clients who included John Updike, Anne Tyler and John Hersey. She has also written a number of her own cookbooks and a charming memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. She believes that recipe writing should engage the senses and enable readers to use their own judgment. Her own recipes do just that. It's entirely fitting that she claim 8th place on the Gourmet Live list of 50 Women Game-Changers in Food.

I have chosen the simplest of recipes to represent her work. She calls it a Frenchified meat loaf. Having just made and served this for our supper, I can tell you it bears no resemblance to the meat loaf of childhood memory - unless of course you're French. This is a lovely entree whose flavors carry with them the scents and tastes of Provence. It's a dense loaf with a texture that is far more like a pate than a meat loaf. It will make wonderful cold sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch. I really think you'll like it. Here's the recipe as it was written by Judith Jones.

Frenchified Meat Loaf...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Judith Jones

Ingredients:
3 slices homemade-type white bread, crusts removed
3 pounds ground beef, veal, and pork (about 1/2 beef portion and 1/2 each of veal and pork)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons salt
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled, chopped, and mashed with 1/2 teaspoon salt (see below)
Several grindings of black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (basil, tarragon, marjoram), or 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
2 bay leaves
2 strips bacon
1/2 cup red wine

Instructions:
1) Spin the bread in a blender to make crumbs; you should have 1-1/2 cups. Dump everything except the bay leaves, bacon, and wine into a big bowl, and blend well, preferably with your hands.
2) Arrange the bay leaves on the bottom of a large loaf pan, and pack the meat mixture in. Place the strips of bacon on top, then pour the wine over, punching a few holes into the meat with your fingers so it will seep down a little. Let marinate for an hour or so, then bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. Turn out of the pan, and remove the bay leaves. And pour any pan juices on top. Serve hot. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: If veal is too expensive or hard to get, use about 3/4 beef to 1/4 pork, ground. If you prefer, slice the peeled garlic instead and press into the top of the meatloaf, then remove the slices before you turn the meatloaf out.

The following bloggers are also paying tribute to Judith Jones this week. I hope you'll visit all of them.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island


Next week we will highlight the food and recipes of Irma Rombauer. If you'd like to join us please email me for additional information. Everyone is welcome.

52 comments :

Anonymous said...

Good old meatloafand memories of my grandam to go with it;)

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Thanks for this new recipe, a little more sofisticated! We love mestloaf at home and I have a pretty good one from mother, as we too, loved it. Lots of hugs. FABBY

Ellen Whyte said...

I love meatloaf and pâté and this looks a mix of the two. Loveley!

Anonymous said...

I am so enjoying this series of posts! Amazing to be the woman who saved The Diary of Anne Frank. Have a super weekend Mary :)

Michelle said...

Meatloaf is pure comfort food..Look forward to trying this recipe..Thanks for the blog comment :)

Anonymous said...

Your meat loaf looks lovely Mary. I have never made meat loaf before - not really a South African thing, will bookmark this Frenchified version to try.
Have a happy weekend.
:-) Mandy

freerangegirl said...

I'd never heard of Judith Jones although I've read many of the books she had a hand in, likewise I've never had fancied meatloaf - I think you might have just converted me! Sounds delicious.

Red Nomad OZ said...

I've never been a big fan of meatloaf - but this recipe, with its whimsical instructions ('Dump' - love it!!) just might prove the exception!

Have a great weekend!!

Maris (InGood Taste) said...

This is probably the finest recipe I have ever seen for meatloaf.

Anonymous said...

Hi Marry
your recipe looks lovely :)))))
I hope you a nice day
Leyla

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Thank you so much for continuing on this journey Maty. I have learned so much in a few short weeks learning from the masters. I think you're right, I would love this dish.

Diane said...

I love meat loafs and they certainly make the meat go a bit further than normal. Have book marked this, thanks. Take care Diane

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

Hello Mary, I always enjoy your posts as you so often give us interesting background information. I make a fancier meatloaf but the addition of the red wine is new to me. Thank you for inspiring.

Sue/the view from great island said...

I'm a meat loaf loving gal, thanks to my mom. Ours was of the most basic sort, delicious, but plain. I like the idea of taking it up a notch! Enjoy your sandwiches today!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

So much to learn about these fabulous women. I had no idea she saved the Anne Frank diary. Wow. We bought my husband's father her cookbook for one and I read it before we wrapped it. It's fabulous and I had to have one for myself. Love that you've chosen the meatloaf/pate today. So much like Judith.
Sam

Kim said...

This meatloaf look really good. I'll try it in fall!

Anonymous said...

So much of French cooking is in fact comfort food. After all, not everyone in the country lives in Paris. Every time I go back to visit, it amazes me that the Europeans have been there for thousands of years and yet so much of their relatively small countries is farmland, pasture, or just plain countryside.

Cheers!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Just love this series... a very important link to the past. I heard ms Jones interviewed on NPR for her last book. What a personality.

Unknown said...

Yes, it does not look like the meatloaf of my childhood - Thank goodness :) YUM!

Unknown said...

oh my golly, now this is a meatloaf I think I can get excited about!

PeggyR said...

This sounds very good. Norm had meat loaf at Bob Evans the other night.

Heather S-G said...

Mmmm...Frenchified Meatloaf sounds wonderful. The perfect tribute to Jones :D

linksdistodaquilo said...

Hello!

Revenue-looking and delicious!

I ask you please be my fan on my facebook. Thank you.

Kissy, have a lovely evening and good weekend!

SimplyStated said...

I actually made this for the first time last year and it has become a monthly staple in our house. Then only changes I made was to sub lamb for the veal and added a 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce....it increases the flavor.

Clint said...

Ummm. Meatloaf. Nobody makes it better than Cindy. Nobody.

Epicurea said...

what a fun take on retro meatloaf!

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

Meatloaf is really such an underrated dish . . . . but I think I've yet to perfect it myself. Maybe this version fromJudith Jones will do it. Amazing woman, I think.

June said...

Looks delicious Mary and one that we'd love. Hope you have a super weekend!

Jeanette said...

What an interesting meatloaf recipe - it does look dense, but I bet it would be tasty on a sandwich. Thanks again for hosting this lovely event.

Miranda | Mangoes and Chutney said...

I have never had French pâté or anything like that. But a good meatloaf I love, so this is worth trying! Thanks for sharing - beautiful job with Judith's biography.

Deana Sidney said...

I got her book, the 10th muse and loved it. SHe is a great woman. Her kitchen is lovely too... so real.

Great loaf... nothing like a great meatloaf!

From the Kitchen said...

This does sound and look like a country pate. I recently read "The Tenth Muse" for, what else, my Muse Book group. We all liked it a lot. I've also enjoyed her writings in Gourmet (alas, old Gourmet, I miss you). If you were to name the Muse of Food, what would it be?

Best,
Bonnie

Pam said...

I have a sudden craving for meatloaf - it looks terrific.

Katie said...

Your meat loaf looks so juicy! What a beautiful tribute to Judith. Thank you for all the work you do to organize this! It's so fun!

Jeannie said...

That is one great looking meatloaf, I would love to try this! Hope you have a good weekend Mary:D

That Girl said...

I fully believe beef, veal, and pork makes the best meatloaf mix.

sheila @ Elements said...

I'd love to try this to see how it differs from the meatloaf I grew up with. Sounds wonderful! :)

Barbara said...

Love her name for the meatloaf, Mary. I've read that using a combination of meats for meatloaves (and meatballs) gives the tastiest results. I don't make meatloaf anymore, but I'm tempted to try this recipe, and serve it next to Val's potatoes!

Rivki Locker said...

Weird as it sounds, I have NEVER made meat loaf. My kids are always begging for it - they feel like they are missing out part of their childhood, I think. This recipe looks perfect. I just might try it!

Ginny Hartzler said...

It does look very delicious! I love meatloaf and used to make it all the time, I put sour cream in it. I think this would taste really good!

Jessica | Cajunlicious said...

I am not a huge meatloaf lover, but this one sounds great!

Joanne said...

Wow! What an interesting meatloaf. Definitely a great variation from the norm!

teresa said...

lovely! i love the mix of meats and the herbes de provence. this sounds so good, what a great tribute!

Anna said...

i must say that i am glad that i like meatloaf the older i get, because this sure does look tasty!! :D

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious and fancy!

Tanna said...

Oh, Mary, when I saw the photo, my first thought was PATE! I was delighted to read your description as being more like pate than meatloaf. I WILL be trying this one. blessings ~ tanna

Anonymous said...

What a GREAT series! I can't wait to see your next entry! I'm going to explore to see the other women....Thanks!

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Mary - You did Judith proud with this meat loaf. Her cookbook on "Pleasures of Eating For One" helped me find the joy in cooking after my husband died last year. This is a wonderful series you're doing.

Elaine said...

Well, I definitely want to try making this frenchified meatloaf as meatloaf is one of my comfort foods and there is nothing like a good meatloaf sandwich. Wouldn't you just love to sit around a dinner table with Judith Jones and all her clients?! What a great post, Mary.

David said...

Mary, This meatloaf recipe actually sounds good...but my wife makes the best meatloaf ever! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Kathy said...

Mary, I really enjoy a good meat loaf once in awhile. This Frenchified version look wonderful..I will have to give it a shot!

Pinky at Designs by Pinky said...

We love meatloaf and creating NEW ones so this will go into our recipe box for sure!!!! It sounds wonderful! Thanks so much!!! XO, Pinky

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