Whether someone is new to the Midwest, or has called it home for years, it’s hard to miss the ‘Midwest charm’ congeniality, and heartfelt awareness of the generational diversity in the surrounding towns. It feels reassuring to see the conversation taking place on the steps in front of the little white church on Main Street or the bustling library. There’s a comforting familiarity when looking through the family restaurant store front windows. It's easy to imagine the coffee that’s always hot, and the seats that are always warm and full, where everybody seems to know each other. The local restaurants tend to honor the mature residents with classic favorites, and entertain the littles with a local balloon animal artist on a Tuesday when kids eat free.
Restaurateurs invest in the surrounding farming community for their raw ingredients, and in turn, care for their patrons with locally sourced delicious comfort food, creating a loving eco system of reciprocity, and a healthy and nourished hometown. There’s a certain ease to the contents of the hometown menu, those irresistible favorites that have stood the test of time, and always a reliable choice. So reliable in fact, it would be difficult to distinguish which menu belongs to which town’s family restaurant. This month, we recreate one of these favorites. And since investing in our personal health is as important as that of our community, we elevate the ingredients with some vitamin and mineral rich options.
Hometown Classic “Meatloaf”
Serves:5 Time: 1hr 15 minutes
Ingredients:
Base for a delightful meatloaf or meatball
1.5 cups fresh or ¾ cup dried breadcrumbs
2T chopped fresh or 1T dried parsley
1.25 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp pepper
2 T (plus 1T for topping) no sugar added ketchup
2 pasture raised or local eggs
Add 1 lb of “meat” to this base
(We tested 85% ground beef, turkey, chicken, and meat substitute).
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If making fresh breadcrumbs, pulse your favorite bread in a food processor until fine. This method is perfect if you’re gluten free, prefer whole grain, or have some stale bread around. Place all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix until just blended. Mold into a rectangular baking pan (we used a stoneware bread pan), drizzle with 1T ketchup, and bake on center rack for 1 hour. Remove and allow to rest, covered, for 15 minutes before slicing into serving size pieces. You can double this recipe to make and freeze meatballs, or make two loaves for delighted family members when there’s extra for a meatloaf sandwich the next day (trust us on this one).
Sunny Potatoes and Sweet Carrots
Serves: 5 Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
5 large organic Yukon gold potatoes
1 large organic sweet potato or ½ head cauliflower (this addition adds minerals and fiber)
6 whole, long, and fat organic carrots, sliced ¼ inch on the bias
4 T organic butter or butter substitute
¼ cup organic cream
Salt and pepper
Pinch of sugar or tsp maple syrup
Directions:
Peel the Yukon potatoes, or leave the skins on for extra minerals and fiber. Peel sweet potato. If substituting cauliflower, wash well. Chop potatoes and cauliflower into equal sized pieces. For this recipe and cooking time, we chopped everything into golf ball size pieces. Place in a pot, cover with just enough water to cover potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, checking for doneness. Drain, add 3T butter, cream, ½ tsp salt, and a sprinkle of pepper. Mash with potato masher, or for smoother potatoes, use hand mixer. In a small saute pan, add ¼ water, carrots, 1T butter, pinch of salt, pepper, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes or until water evaporates. Serve with your favorite gravy. And just like at the local diner, we sprinkled everything with parsley (which adds vitamins and also freshens breath). Share this comforting hometown classic meal with those you love.