Meatloaf is one of those things I just throw together.  No written recipe, but it’s the same ol’ loaf time and time, again.  It’s good, but it’s the same ol’ loaf time and time, again.

I decided that we needed something a bit different.  I had a recipe for a Rustic French Meatloaf that I made for Victor’s birthday, but I wasn’t in a chicken liver mood.  (Besides, I didn’t have any lying about…)

I saw an old Gourmet recipe but it wasn’t really what I wanted, either.  I decided to take bits and pieces of everything and make my own.

Magnificent Meatloaf

• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 small onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 carrot
• 4 oz mushrooms
• 1 cup dried figs
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 3 slices thick-sliced bacon
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup Italian parsley, minced
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.

Soak bread crumbs in milk.

In food processor, finely mince onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and mushrooms.  Cook mixture about 5 minutes in skillet over medium heat.

Add Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, allspice, salt and  pepper. Add to bread-crumb mixture.

Finely chop bacon, parsley, and prunes in a food processor and add to onion mixture.  Add beef and eggs and mix well.

Form into loaf.

Bake about 90 minutes or until thermometer reads 155°.

It worked pretty well.

All of the chopped and sauteed vegetables really made for a moist meatloaf, and the figs added a perfect sweet balance.

Mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, and peas finished the plate.

And now we get meatloaf sandwiches.

Yum.