Meatloaf Brasciole: An Homage to Rachael Ray

When I was in college we had free cable and I was addicted to the food channels. Over the space of 3 years I taught myself to cook just by watching TV (I would have practiced but the dorms had no kitchens). Sadly, I saw lots of delicious recipes being made but didn’t think to write them down for when I could get somewhere to test them out. Instead I’d wait a few months and them create some terrifying amalgam of 12 different recipes I’d seen.

This started out as a recipe for Meatloaf Brasciole (that’s fancy for Meatloaf Roll-Up) that I saw on an episode of Rachael Ray, but got morphed to include the ingredients I had on hand. It’s as easy as a regular meatloaf, but with the rolled up core of prosciutto, cheese and spinach it looks super fancy and complex, plus the Italian flavors are WAY better than the version your mom used to make.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 small white onion, grated
  • 3 tablespoons pine nuts, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 6 slices prosciutto
  • 6 slices deli sliced provolone
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Mix all ingredients (except prosciutto, cheese, spinach and oil) like you are making a regular meat loaf. Flatten meat out on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer: 1/2-inch thick, 12 inches long by 6 to 8 inches wide. Cover meat with spinach, prosciutto slices and cheese then roll the meat, using the waxed paper to help roll up into a large log (like a giant Swiss Roll). Drizzle the log with extra-virgin olive oil to coat lightly. Roast meatroll 20 minutes. Cut into 1 inch servings.

For more awesome, easy dinner ideas try one of these great books:

Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook: 100 Can’t-miss Main Courses in Pictures

Just in Time! All-new 30-Minute Meals

Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book

Make the Bread, Buy the Butter

make the bread buy the butterHave you ever wondered if it was cheaper to make something homemade or just buy it at the store? Well, I found a book that will help shed some light on that question. While perusing the New York Times Notable Cookbooks for 2011, I came across Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese. The author takes 120 items and evaluates them. She includes recipes and cost comparisons so you can choose to either make or buy.

Sample entry from the book Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese:

Cocoa

Make it or buy it? Make it.

Hassle: None at all

Cost Comparisons: Swiss Miss charges about $0.38 per 1 ounce packet of cocoa. One ounce of homemade cocoa costs about $0.18

1 ½ cups dark brown sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1. Sift the ingredients into a bowl. If any of the salt or sugar gets left in the sifter, just pour it into the cocoa mix and whisk to blend. Keeps indefinitely in a lidded jar.

2. To make hot chocolate, use 2 tablespoons per cup of hot milk. Stir in ¼ teaspoon vanilla

 

New Years Resolutions

ultimate low calorie bookHow many of you make New Year’s resolutions?  How many of you are successful in keeping those resolutions?  There will be a multitude of New Year’s resolutions made this year only to have them abandoned a few months later.  Ahhh, but the thought was there and that counts for something, RIGHT?  For many, January 1st is the day they will start on the path to healthier eating.   I think the key to succeeding is to have variety in your meals.  English poet, William Cowper sums it up in a phrase from the poem, “the Task” (1785):   ”Variety is the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.”

Try some of these new or fairly new additions to the library for some inspirational recipes, and here’s to a new you in a few months.

The ultimate low-calorie book: more than 400 light and healthy recipes for every day

Hungry girl 300 under 300: 300 breakfast, lunch & dinner dishes under 300 calories

Fix-it and forget-it lightly: 600 healthy low-fat recipes for your slow cooker