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ysabetwordsmithI made this today. It turned out amazingly well. The whole house smelled like spiced tomatoes and meat.
"Mini Meatloaves with Cheese and Tomatoes"
Ingredients:
12 assorted mini tomatoes
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon basil flakes
1 egg
1/4 cup half-and-half
about 3/4 tube butter crackers, crumbled
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Australian pink salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked ground black pepper
1 lb. ground beef
6 mini cheese wheels, peeled
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 6-hole muffin tin with cooking spray.
Dice 12 assorted mini tomatoes and put them in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup ketchup and 1/2 teaspoon basil flakes. Stir together. Set aside.
In a large glass bowl, combine 1 egg and 1/4 cup half-and-half. Crumble in the crackers. Add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon Australian pink salt, and 1/4 teaspoon smoked ground black pepper. Add 1 lb. ground beef. Mix thoroughly with your hands. (If the mixture is too wet, add more cracker crumbs. If it's too dry, add a little more milk.) Everything should stick together and form a nice ball.
Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, rolling them into balls. Pick up one ball and flatten it between your palms. Take one cheese wheel and press it into the center of the meat patty. Gently squeeze and press the edges of the patty upwards so they close over the cheese wheel; seal carefully. Place the mini meatloaf into a muffin hole, sealed side down. Repeat with the remaining balls of meat mixture and cheese wheels.
Press little indentations into the tops of the meat muffins. Divide the tomato mixture evenly among them, spooning it into the indentations.
Bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes. When done, the meatloaves should be browned on top, and juices should run clear; the tomato topping should have thickened into a glossy cap. Makes 6 servings.
Notes:
Miniature tomatoes come in many sizes, shapes, and colors including cherry and grape varieties. These are often sold mixed cartons. They tend to have sweeter, more complex flavors compared to regular tomatoes. If you can't find assorted small tomatoes, any single variety will do. You could also use diced heritage tomatoes of larger size.
Ketchup creates a sauce for the tomatoes, and it is often used by itself as a meatloaf topping. They work better together. If you don't have ketchup, you can use tomato sauce, puree, or paste but you'll need to add salt, sugar, and vinegar to round out the flavor profile.
Basil has a sweet, leafy flavor prominent in Mediterranean cuisine. It goes great with tomatoes. You could also use fresh basil, but the amount will vary depending on how intense yours is -- it can range from mildly spicy-sweet to quite assertive.
This topping has a wonderful sweet-tart, slightly spicy flavor. It would work great for topping full-size meatloaf, hot dogs, or hamburgers. People who like raw tomatoes could use it immediately. People who prefer theirs cooked could use a microwave or skillet to break down the tomatoes.
Various types of crackers will work with this recipe, Ritz or Club or whatever. The buttery flavor helps meld with the cheese. If you don't have butter crackers, however, saltines will do fine. Also, letting the cracker crumbs soak in the egg and milk for a minute or two while you add the rest of the flavorings will soften them so they blend with the meat better.
Australian pink salt has a subtle, complex flavor that blends nicely with many meats. If you don't have any, use sea salt or plain table salt.
Smoked ground black pepper adds a dark spicy flavor. If you don't have any, use freshly ground black pepper, perhaps with a tiny bit of liquid smoke.
Mini cheese wheels are about 1" to 1 1/2" wide. Gouda and cheddar are two types often sold this way. You peel off the outer wrapper and the wax, and you get a soft white or pale yellow cheese with a mellow flavor. If you can't find mini wheels, you can buy a small slab of cheese and cut it into 1" cubes. Because the cheese tends to expand when hot, it may escape the meat layer and ooze up the sides of the muffin holes. That's okay, it will all taste fine anyway.
For a nondairy approach, substitute your favorite plant milk for the half-and-half, and nondairy cheese or tofu for the cheese wheels.
I used standard muffin tins, which are really too small to hold that much meat, let alone with a cheese wheel in the middle and tomatoes on top. If you have a jumbo muffin tin, that would probably work better. But making an indentation in the top did an effective job of containing the topping.
"Mini Meatloaves with Cheese and Tomatoes"
Ingredients:
12 assorted mini tomatoes
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon basil flakes
1 egg
1/4 cup half-and-half
about 3/4 tube butter crackers, crumbled
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Australian pink salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked ground black pepper
1 lb. ground beef
6 mini cheese wheels, peeled
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 6-hole muffin tin with cooking spray.
Dice 12 assorted mini tomatoes and put them in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup ketchup and 1/2 teaspoon basil flakes. Stir together. Set aside.
In a large glass bowl, combine 1 egg and 1/4 cup half-and-half. Crumble in the crackers. Add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon Australian pink salt, and 1/4 teaspoon smoked ground black pepper. Add 1 lb. ground beef. Mix thoroughly with your hands. (If the mixture is too wet, add more cracker crumbs. If it's too dry, add a little more milk.) Everything should stick together and form a nice ball.
Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, rolling them into balls. Pick up one ball and flatten it between your palms. Take one cheese wheel and press it into the center of the meat patty. Gently squeeze and press the edges of the patty upwards so they close over the cheese wheel; seal carefully. Place the mini meatloaf into a muffin hole, sealed side down. Repeat with the remaining balls of meat mixture and cheese wheels.
Press little indentations into the tops of the meat muffins. Divide the tomato mixture evenly among them, spooning it into the indentations.
Bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes. When done, the meatloaves should be browned on top, and juices should run clear; the tomato topping should have thickened into a glossy cap. Makes 6 servings.
Notes:
Miniature tomatoes come in many sizes, shapes, and colors including cherry and grape varieties. These are often sold mixed cartons. They tend to have sweeter, more complex flavors compared to regular tomatoes. If you can't find assorted small tomatoes, any single variety will do. You could also use diced heritage tomatoes of larger size.
Ketchup creates a sauce for the tomatoes, and it is often used by itself as a meatloaf topping. They work better together. If you don't have ketchup, you can use tomato sauce, puree, or paste but you'll need to add salt, sugar, and vinegar to round out the flavor profile.
Basil has a sweet, leafy flavor prominent in Mediterranean cuisine. It goes great with tomatoes. You could also use fresh basil, but the amount will vary depending on how intense yours is -- it can range from mildly spicy-sweet to quite assertive.
This topping has a wonderful sweet-tart, slightly spicy flavor. It would work great for topping full-size meatloaf, hot dogs, or hamburgers. People who like raw tomatoes could use it immediately. People who prefer theirs cooked could use a microwave or skillet to break down the tomatoes.
Various types of crackers will work with this recipe, Ritz or Club or whatever. The buttery flavor helps meld with the cheese. If you don't have butter crackers, however, saltines will do fine. Also, letting the cracker crumbs soak in the egg and milk for a minute or two while you add the rest of the flavorings will soften them so they blend with the meat better.
Australian pink salt has a subtle, complex flavor that blends nicely with many meats. If you don't have any, use sea salt or plain table salt.
Smoked ground black pepper adds a dark spicy flavor. If you don't have any, use freshly ground black pepper, perhaps with a tiny bit of liquid smoke.
Mini cheese wheels are about 1" to 1 1/2" wide. Gouda and cheddar are two types often sold this way. You peel off the outer wrapper and the wax, and you get a soft white or pale yellow cheese with a mellow flavor. If you can't find mini wheels, you can buy a small slab of cheese and cut it into 1" cubes. Because the cheese tends to expand when hot, it may escape the meat layer and ooze up the sides of the muffin holes. That's okay, it will all taste fine anyway.
For a nondairy approach, substitute your favorite plant milk for the half-and-half, and nondairy cheese or tofu for the cheese wheels.
I used standard muffin tins, which are really too small to hold that much meat, let alone with a cheese wheel in the middle and tomatoes on top. If you have a jumbo muffin tin, that would probably work better. But making an indentation in the top did an effective job of containing the topping.
