Ask A South Florida Chef: 5 Mouth-Watering Meatloaf Recipes

A trusted chef of CBS Local Miami, Chef Obi returns for a second consultation in which he gives five of his favorite meatloaf recipes. While meatloaf isn't for everyone, the good chef has provided us with a vegan "meatloaf" dish for the veggie eaters. The best thing about meatloaf is that it can be created in mass and frozen for later. It can also be eaten from for quite a few days, including in a sandwich. Below, we have detailed the recipes, as according to Chef Obi of Miami, Florida.

Chef Obi

Miami Chef
Miami, Florida 33139
(787) 407-5325
www.facebook.com/chef.obi

Chef Obi has gained acclaim for his amazing presentations and delicious dinners, traveling between Miami and Puerto Rico in preparing meals for restaurants and private dinners.

On family dinners, Chef Obi firmly believes that "Family nightly dinners bring families together. It reinforces the family roots and tradition. It makes you remember that the most important thing is family."

All-American Meatloaf
(Yield: Serving of 6)

Ingredients:

• 3 slices of white bread
• 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 1 celery with strings peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 a medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1/2 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup ketchup, adding 3 optional tablespoons of ketchup
• 4 1/2 teaspoons of dry mustard
• 8 ounces of ground pork
• 8 ounces of ground veal
• 8 ounces of ground round
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, adding needles for sprinkling
• 2 tablespoons of dark-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch-thick rings

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove crusts from bread and place slices in the bowl of a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form, about 10 seconds. Transfer breadcrumbs to a large mixing bowl. Do not substitute dried breadcrumbs in this step, as they will make your meatloaf rubbery.
2. Place carrot, celery, yellow onion, garlic and parsley in the bowl of the food processor. Process until vegetables have been minced, about 30 seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Transfer vegetables to bowl with the breadcrumbs.
3. Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, pork, veal, beef, eggs, salt, pepper, Tabasco and rosemary. Using your hands, knead the ingredients until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. The texture should be wet, but tight enough to hold a free-form shape.
4. Set a wire baking rack into an 11-by-17-inch baking pan. Cut a 5-by-11-inch piece of parchment paper, and place over center of rack to prevent meat loaf from falling through. Using your hands, form an elongated loaf covering the parchment.
5. Place the remaining 3 tablespoons ketchup, remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the glaze over loaf. Place oil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. When oil is smoking, add red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden in places. Add 3 tablespoons water and cook, stirring until most of the water has evaporated. Transfer onions to a bowl to cool slightly, then sprinkle onions over the meatloaf.
6. Bake 30 minutes, then sprinkle rosemary needles on top. Continue baking loaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 160 degrees, about 25 minutes more. Let meatloaf cool on rack 15 minutes.

BBQ Meatloaf
(Yield: Serving of 10)

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of lean ground beef
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 package of McCormick Meat Loaf Seasoning Mix
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients, except barbecue sauce and cheese, in large bowl until well blended.
2. Shape meat mixture into a loaf. Place in foil-lined baking pan or 9x5-inch loaf pan. Top with barbecue sauce.
3. Bake 55 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cooked through.

Puerto Rican Meatloaf
(Yield: Serving of 6-8)

Ingredients:

• Puerto Rican meatloaf sofrito
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 purple onion, finely diced
• 4 fresh garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 red and green bell peppers; cored, seeded and finely diced
• 2 tomatoes halves, seeded and finely diced
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
• 1-12 ounce bottle of ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 slices of white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
• 1/4 cup of whole milk
• 1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey
• 1 pound of ground pork
• 2 eggs
• Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3-4 thick bacon slices

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Sauté a purple onion, fresh garlic and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red and green peppers and cilantro; cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes. Stir in the ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of Puerto Rican meatloaf Sofrito.
2. Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.
3. This is where you get your hands in there. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomatoes relish, the eggs, and thyme, season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 8-9 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across to top lengthwise
4. Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side. Incredibly moist and smooth to the palate.

Related: Top Doughnut Shops In South Florida

Chinese Meatloaf
(Yield: Serving of 4)

Ingredients :

• 1/2 pound of ground beef
• 1/2 pound of ground lean pork
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 cup of hoisin sauce (divided)
• 1/2 cup of ketchup
• 1/3 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 can of diced water chestnuts, drained
• 2 tablespoons of chopped celery
• 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine beef, pork, wheat germ, 1/2 cup hoisin sauce, onions, water chestnuts, celery, pepper flakes, basil, garlic, egg and salt.
2. Mix thoroughly, yet lightly.
3. Shape into loaf and place in greased loaf or meat loaf pan.
4. Bake 40 minutes or until center is no longer pink (160°F).
5. Combine ketchup and remaining half cup of hoisin sauce; Spoon over top during the last 5 minutes of baking.

Vegan Meatloaf
(Yield: Serving of 6)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a small white onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, finely chopped
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons and addition teaspoon of olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried sage
• 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup of vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup of water

Directions:

Related: Top Delicatessens In South Florida