'Lobel's Meat and Wine'

Wow! What a cookbook you’ll have in the recently published “Lobel’s Meat and Wine” cookbook. It is masterfully written, enticing in its photographs and so commanding in its completeness, I simply want to drop EVERYTHING and go to the kitchen and cook…for days and days!

Seldom does one fine such complete recipe directions, guidance for choosing ingredients and, of course, the wine pairings, a newly discovered old fashioned marrying of foods with those wines best suited to the flavors of the dish.

The book hails from generations of the Lobel family who have a high-profile butcher shop on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Authored by the Lobels (Stanly, Leon, Evan, Mark and David) with Mary Goodbody. Ms. Goodbody probably had more than a nodding glance of the book’s exquisiteness….she has worked on more than 55 cookbooks!

The book, in fact, reminds me of Julia Child’s “Masterpiece of French Cooking” co-authored with Simone Beck (my culinary mentor) in its absolute completeness. Thus the long, detailed recipes.

For some cooks this would be discouraging. Please stay with me… the details help cooks of all skill levels and experiences replicate good food. There are no minor points skipped here. Nothing is assumed.

The wine pairings are suggested by David Whiteman. Whiteman is a 20-year veteran of the wine industry and a chef. He is a graduate of The French Culinary Institute.

Choosing recipes to share with you from this book was difficult at best. My goal was to select a couple that you just might try… and be so entranced that you’d give the book a closer look. I have a feeling that many cooks become a bit jaded when it comes to main dishes… it’s simply easy to fall back onto family favorites. So, here is one that isn’t too expensive for a trial run. The traditional Tuscan technique makes for a handsome loaf and the flavors worthy of your efforts.

Tuscan-style Meat Loaf with White Wine Vegetable Sauce

(“Lobel’s Meat and Wine.” Chronicle Books, Publisher, 2006)

• One 1 ½-inch thick slice country-style bread, crust removed

• 3-4 tbsp. milk

• ½ lb. ground pork

• ½ lb. ground veal

• ½ lb. ground beef

• ¼ lb. mortadella, preferably, Italian, thinly sliced and very finely chopped

• 1 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano or other grana-type cheese, finely grated

• ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

• Kosher salt

• 3 large eggs

• 7 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped

• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 3 large fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

• 1 cup dry white wine

• ½ cup water

• Freshly ground black pepper

In a large mixing bowl, moisten the bread with the milk and using your hands, repeatedly squeeze and mash the bread until it’s almost a paste. Drain off any excess milk and add the pork, veal, beef, mortadella, cheese, nutmeg and 2 teaspoons salt.

Beat two of the eggs and add to the bowl. Using your hands, work the mixture until all the ingredients are very thoroughly combined.

Pass the meat mixture back and forth between your hands to form one big, smooth, round meatball without any seams or air pockets. Next, shape the meat into a smooth loaf about 8 inches long by 5 inches wide and 3 inches high. Transfer to a plate, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

In a skillet, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley and sage, stirring occasionally, until the onion is pale gold at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a flame-proof casserole large enough to hold the meat loaf easily, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Salt the chilled meat loaf on the top and with the oil is quite hot, carefully put it in the casserole, salted side down. Cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned, reducing the heat if it threatens to burn, 5 to 7 minutes.*

Salt the side of the meat now facing up and using a thin metal spatula, very carefully release the meat from the bottom of the casserole. With the help of a second spatula, turn the meat over. Add the wine and bring to simmer. Adjust heat so the wine simmers gently and cook until reduced by one-third, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the water. Add the vegetable mixture, spreading some over the top of the meat loaf itself and baste the meat generously.

Wrap a 15-inch square of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the top and sides of the meat so that the paper or foil presses gently against the exposed surfaces. Let the excess extend over the vegetables. Cover the casserole and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 155 degrees.

Let the meat rest for 15 minutes, covered in the casserole. Transfer to a cutting board and keep it covered with the parchment or foil.

Meanwhile, re-warm the liquid in the casserole over very low heat. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and whisk a ladleful of the warm cooking liquid into the egg to temper it without curdling. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the casserole, whisking continuously for 1 to 2 minutes or until the sauce is cream and fluid. Do not let it boil. (If the sauce seems overly thick, thin it with a bit of water.) Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Spoon about one-third of the sauce on serving plates or serving platter. Slice the meatloaf into 3/8-inch thick slices and arrange the slices on the plates or a platter, overlapping them. Spoon the remaining sauce over the slices and generously top with freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

*It’s important to let the loaf brown well on its first side, undisturbed, before turning; otherwise it will stick and tear. A thin metal spatula is easy to slip under the loaf to free it before turning. It’s easiest to turn the loaf if the casserole is roomy enough to hold it easily. If the casserole is not too deep, it’s pretty simple to work with the spatula.

My family heritage includes a Portuguese grandmother… so I had to focus on this unusually flavored pot roast. The onions and garlic are said to be traditional for this style of cooking. No wonder I’ve always said I didn’t think I could cook without garlic or onions. Both must be part of my genetic DNA.

Spiced Portuguese-Style Pot Roast with Bacon, Onion and White Wine

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 8 oz. smoked slab bacon, cut into pieces about 1-inch long, ¼-inch wide and ¼-inch thick

• Kosher salt

• One 2-lb. pieces of beef chuck uniformly shaped like a roast, cut crosswise into 4 equal steaks

• 6 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

• 12 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 20 allspice berries

• 10 black peppercorns

• ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 bay leaf

• 3 cups white wine

• 1 cup water

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 4 to 6 cups cooked white rice for serving

In a 5- or 6-quart flameproof casserole or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Stir in the bacon and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crispy, but still tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate, leaving the bacon fat in the pot. Set the bacon aside.

Generously salt the steaks.

Raise the heat under the pot to medium-high and cook the steaks until nicely, but not heavily browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Work in batches if necessary. Transfer to another plate and set aside.

Stir the onions, garlic and 1 tsp. salt into the drippings in the pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until reduced in volume and slightly softened, 6 to 8 minutes. If the moisture from the onions has not deglazed the bottom of the pot, add ½ cup water and scrape to loosen any browned bits. Transfer the contents of the pot to a bowl and set aside; let the pot cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Rub the inside of the pot with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Distribute half of the onion mixture evenly across the bottom. Lay the meat in a single layer over the onions. Scatter the allspice berries, peppercorns, red pepper leaves, bay leaf and half of the reserved bacon over the meat. Distribute the remaining onion mixture over the meat, completely covering it. Scatter the remaining bacon over the top and pour the wine, water and any onion and beef juices on the plates into the pot. Add more water to just cover the solids, if necessary.

Bring to a simmer and let bubble gently for 5 minutes. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking until the meat is very tender, 3 to 3 ½ hours. Adjust the oven temperature as needed to maintain a very gentle simmer.

Turn off the oven, uncover the pot and let the stew rest in the oven for about 30 minutes to concentrate the flavors.

Divide the meat among wide, shallow bowls. Spoon over abundant amounts of onions, broth, garnished with parsley and serve with rice. Serves 4 to 6.