MLBJ
I got this recipe and modified it a bit from Tim Ferriss’s book, 40 Hour Chef. It includes several basic cooking techniques into a great recipe with minimal prep, and minimal ingredients.
However, this recipe has a back story. Why is it called MLBJ? A friend of Tim stated that there are two things that are needed to please a man. She says “Many women complicate things. I know how to keep my man happy, period: meatloaf and blow jobs. That’s it!”
Now, I am not going to teach you the latter, but enjoy this great twist to traditional meatloaf!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds 80/20 Ground Beef
- 3 Whole Eggs
- 5 Scallions (sliced fine)
- 1 Large Onion (diced)
- 5 Cloves Garlic (diced)
- 4 Ounces Baby Bella Mushrooms (diced)
- 2 Large Handfuls of Baby Spinach
- 4 ounces Shredded Parmesan Cheese (or any soft cheese you like)
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 3 tsp Dried Oregano (three large pinches)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1 28oz Canned Diced Tomatoes with seasonings/peppers/onions (Italian Style)
- 1/2 can Tomato Paste
- 6 shakes of Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tsp Brown Sugar
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Saute the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil until slightly brown but still firm. Set aside.
- Place the base ingredients, except the seasonings, cheese, spinach, and mushrooms, in a large mixing bowl and use hands to thoroughly combine.
- On a clean, smooth surface (use your biggest section of counter space you have => you do not want to feel cramped for this) , lay out a piece of plastic wrap at least 18 inches long and 18 inches wide. Use two sheets overlapped if necessary.
- Put the meat mixture on the plastic and use hands to flatten into a rectangle of uniform thickness (approx. 1 inch).
- Season the meat with cayenne, oregano, salt, pepper, and rosemary. I also add some Emeril's Essence (Click Here for Recipe).
- Lay out the spinach across the lower portion of the meat.
- Add the mushrooms and the shredded cheese.
- Starting at the lower end, use the plastic wrap to lift the edge and carefully begin to roll the base over the filling. Use the plastic wrap to shape the roulade as you go (squaring the sides, etc). DO NOT FORGET TO PULL AWAY THE PLASTIC WRAP AS YOU GO. No one wants plastic in their dinner. (This is why we go slow.)
- Once the roll is completely covered, hold the ends of the wrap and roll the entire piece to tighten the roulade like a starlight mint wrapper.
- Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the wrap and place the roulade SEAM SIDE DOWN in a lightly oiled baking dish.
- Bake at 425°F for 50-60 min, or until the internal temp reaches 150°F.
- If you want to use this as a glaze, prepare early, and put on the loaf during the last 20 minutes of cooking. If you want to use as a sauce, prepare as your loaf is cooking, and add to the plate during service.
- Heat your saute pan to high heat, add a small bit of oil to coat pan.
- Drain tomatoes, and reserve juice.
- Add tomatoes and saute until softer.
- Add the tomato sauce, and stir in.
- Add worcestershire sauce and stir.
- Add Brown Sugar and stir in.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- If you are using as a sauce and it's too thick for your liking, use some of the tomato juice from the can to thin out a bit.
For clarification here is what the roulade should look like before rolling.
Here is the filling laid out.
And here it is after cooking:
Also, check out Tim’s book, as well as his other tomes (links to follow). It reads as a cooking tutorial, but it’s more about meta-learning techniques. It uses cooking as a vehicle to teach these techniques. It breaks down the cooking process into easy steps for people that have always feared cooking. It’s one of the few books I have read twice.
