Mother Earth Brewing

Stuffed over my Thanksgiving feast, I sat back in an all too comfortable chair and I got to thinking… about beer of course. I wondered how beer could be added to ramp up those traditional family recipes we all enjoy. By “adding beer,”  I mean using it in the recipe to cook with. After a bit of chatter amongst family members about the topic, I started to do a bit of research.

I began searching the web for a recipe I thought might benefit from our Old Neighborhood Porter. I wanted a comfort food that was also:  fairly healthy, easy to make, and one that uses ingredients most people are likely to have on hand. I unearthed a huge selection of recipes- most of which sounded pretty appetizing. –But one simple, yet classic meal stood out: Meatloaf.  I’ll be cooking up this bad boy this weekend- and I encourage you to do the same. Thanks to Eating Well magazine (February/March 2005) for the traditional recipe. I smell it cooking already.

Notice the recipe calls for lean ground beef and turkey, not to mention Wheat bread crumbs. I won’t pretend this is like eating a salad, but it’s a nice healthy twist to an old favorite. So grab a Mother Earth Brewing, Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Porter and get loafing. Cheers!

Here’s what you need:

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped (2 cups)
• 1 12-ounce bottle Old Neighborhood Oatmeal Porter
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds 95%-lean ground beef
• 1 1/4 pounds 93%-lean ground turkey
• 1 cup fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Here’s what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in oatmeal porter and increase heat to high. Bring to a vigorous boil; cook until the liquid is quite syrupy and the mixture reduces to about 3/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in thyme, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Add beef, turkey, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg and egg white to the onion mixture. With clean hands, mix thoroughly and transfer to the prepared pan.
4. Bake the meatloaf until an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F when inserted into the center, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes; drain accumulated liquid from the pan and slice.

…then open a bottle of Old Neighborhood Porter and Dig In.

Peace, Love, and Beer………Trent