Come by Chance Meatloaf

I may have a graduate degree in planning, but I am not a planner. I read in magazines about people who plan their menus a week in advance and I am in awe. I couldn’t do that. Too much organization involved. With the exception of a few slow cooker recipes that require a few hours’ notice, my usual routine is to wander into the kitchen in the mid to late afternoon, open the refrigerator, glare in, and do some quick calculations. Do I need to run over to the grocery store before dark? Or can I wing it with what we have?

A couple of days ago, I explored as far as the freezer and came up with some frozen ground turkey. I put it out to defrost and figured that inspiration would strike later.

Well, it didn’t. And dinnertime was coming up. In despair, I turned to the Internet and Googled “ground turkey.” Lasagna? No. Meatballs? No. Chili? No. Then I found something that spoke to me: turkey and quinoa meatloaf.

We love quinoa and wonder of wonders, we actually had some on hand. I looked at the meatloaf recipe and thought it needed editing (it was American, and it called for brown sugar, for heaven’s sakes). But I had the inspiration I needed. And this (more or less) is what I did:

About ¼ cup cooked quinoa

1 lb turkey

1 onion, chopped

1 egg

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Tomato paste (or barbeque sauce, or something of the sort)

Salt and pepper

I got the oven going at 350F/180C. I made the quinoa as the package directs (rinse in a sieve, put in a pan with 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa, cook for about 15 minutes, fluff with a fork), and then mixed everything together. (The recipe suggested you sauté the onions in a pan first, but I didn’t have time.) Into the greased meatloaf pan, into the oven, bang. I also threw in some small potatoes cut in half, spritzed with a bit of olive oil, in a separate container. 40 minutes later, I did some green veggies. 50 minutes later, dinner is on the table. Whew. 

Norman likes to say, “Planning is what you resort to when chance breaks down.” Well, chance stood me in good stead once again.

And no, this is not my photograph of quinoa. I am not that organized. I ripped it off the Internet.

 

We served it with my homemade ketchup (Alex thinks I’m nuts to make my own ketchup, but we’ll never go back to Heinz). This is something I do make in advance, usually when I’m in the kitchen doing something else. So I guess I can do a bit of planning, after all.

In a blender or food processor, combine:

3 small tomatoes (I use Roma tomatoes)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar (plain white or something more interesting)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or 1/2 teaspoon if you like more spiciness)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon maple sugar (if you can't get it in the UK, add a bit of extra sweetness in some other form)
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Blend into a puree. Then cook on the stovetop on medium heat until it thickens. This can take 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how liquid it is when it starts and how thick you want it to be.

You can ring the changes on this recipe. I added cranberries for cranberry ketchup at Christmastime or done a terribly French edition with tarragon vinegar and chervil.