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best family dinner Glazed Meatloaf with Cheese, Baked Potatoes and Onions (on video) Tomato Salad Cos Lettuce Salad with Garlic Salad Cream Grape Basket saturday treat Mini Meatballs with Wilted Salad and French Bread Chilled Watermelon  Wine Suggestion

Glazed Meatloaf with Cheese, Baked Potatoes and Onions

We have used an unusual technique to drain the fat off while the meatloaf is cooking. The cheese gives flavour and moistness while the gelatine helps to bind the mixture.

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¾ cup (187 ml) grated cheddar cheese
2 T (30 ml) canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 T (30 ml) finely chopped parsley
3 t (15 ml) Ina Paarman's Garlic & Herb Seasoning
½ t (2,5 ml) gelatine powder
2 T (30 ml) water
500 g lean beef mince
3 T (45 ml) Ina Paarman's Tomato Pesto
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh white breadcrumbs
1 t (5 ml) Meat Spice
½ cup (125 ml) Ina Paarman's BBQ Marinade

POTATOES

4-6 unpeeled potatoes, cut into wedges
1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges from top to bottom
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman's Potato Spice
olive oil

Spread the grated cheese out on a plate and leave it in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place an oval plate on a larger piece of heavy duty foil and roll it up around the plate to form a rim.
Remove the plate.

Put the foil on a trivet or wire rack and poke draining holes into it with a sosatie stick.

Sauté the onion in the canola oil until completely soft and lightly browned. Add the parsley and Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Leave to cool.

Sprinkle the gelatine powder over the water and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Use a medium size mixing bowl and add the mince, Tomato Pesto, egg and breadcrumbs. Mix lightly with a knife. Mix in the onion and soaked gelatine. Crumble the frozen cheese into the mixture and lightly mix it in.

Shape the mince into a domed oval ± 4cm high and transfer it to the prepared foil. Season the top generously with Meat Spice and brush with half of the BBQ Marinade.

Cut the potatoes lengthwise into wedges and place them in a roasting pan. Tuck the onion, also cut into small wedges inbetween the potatoes.

Season generously with Potato Spice and drizzle with olive oil.

Place the trivet, with meat loaf on, over the potatoes.

Bake for 35 minutes. Rebrush the top of the loaf with the remaining BBQ Marinade and bake for another 10 minutes.

Turn the oven up to 200°C. Remove the rack with meat loaf and allow it to rest, lightly covered, while browning the potatoes for another 10-15 minutes at the higher temperature.

Warm the gravy or prepare gravy using Ina Paarman's Brown Gravy Powder and serve with the meat loaf and potatoes.

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Tomato Salad

Tomatoes are at their peak during late summer, now is the time to use them. Serve them with a French or Greek Vinaigrette. Add the minimum of fuss, perhaps some chives, anchovies, olives, or torn basil leaves. It is really important to peel the tomatoes for a truly refined eating experience.

4 large, 6 medium or 8 small tomatoes
A pinch of sugar
A sprinkling of Ina Paarman's Seasoned Sea Salt
Ina Paarman's French or Greek Vinaigrette

With a sharp knife cut out the core of each tomato and cut a cross at the base. Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for about 30 seconds. Refresh the tomatoes in cold water and pull away the skins.

The exception would be really sweet small tomatoes like baby rosa or cherry.

Slice the tomatoes thickly and place them on a shallow dish. Sprinkle with the sugar and Seasoned Sea Salt and leave for about 15 minutes. Add the garnish of your choice as discussed above. Dress with the vinaigrette of your choice.

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Cos Lettuce Salad with Garlic Salad Cream

Our Garlic Salad Dressing, with fresh cream added to it, is delicious.

2 small cos lettuces or a small butter lettuce
¼ cup (60 ml) Ina Paarman's Garlic Dressing
¼ cup (60 ml) fresh cream

Remove any tough outer leaves, then cut the lettuces into quarters, laying them on a shallow serving dish.

Mix the dressing with the cream. Drizzle over the lettuce just before serving.

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Grape Basket

Briefly rinse the grapes and arrange them in a fruit bowl.

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Mini Meatballs with Wilted Salad and French Bread

These meatballs can be made with pork or minced chicken. Very good for a picnic, Saturday lunch or a casual dinner. They are served in hollowed out French bread, coated on the inside with a spicy dressing. The meatballs are topped with a delicious wilted carrot and radish salad.

SPICY DRESSING

2/3 cup (167 ml) Ina Paarman's Thousand Island Dressing
3 spring onions, finely sliced with green tops
a few drops of Tabasco or one finely sliced chilli

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate.

WILTED CARROT AND RADISH SALAD

4 carrots cut into very fine match sticks
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 bunch radishes, finely sliced
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Green Onion Seasoning
¼ cup (60 ml) Ina Paarman's Lime and Coriander Low Fat Dressing

Mix the vegetables with the Green Onion Seasoning and Lime and Coriander Dressing. It is best to compress them down with a saucer with a weight on top. Leave the salad to stand for 30 minutes to an hour. In this time the vegetables will become slightly wilted and absorb the flavours of the dressing.

MEATBALLS

½ t (2,5 ml) gelatine powder
2 T (30 l) water
500 g minced pork or chicken
4 T (60 ml) Ina Paarman's Basil Pesto
3 spring onions, finely sliced with green tops
1 T (15 ml) light soy sauce or 1 t (5 ml) Worchester sauce
1 t (5 ml) Ina Paarman's Chilli & Garlic Seasoning (omit if using pork sausage meat which is already seasoned)
1 t (5 ml) sugar
2 t (10 ml) maizena or cornflour
¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil for frying

Sprinkle the gelatine powder over the water and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Mix all the ingredients, except the oil, lightly together with a knife. Add gelatine. Use 2T of the mince mixture, at a time, and shape with wet hands into meatballs. Work lightly. Place on a plate in a single layer. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes. Can be made the day before.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Warm the canola oil in a heavy based ovenproof frying pan. Lightly brown the outside of the meatballs. Bake them in the oven in the frying pan, or transfer to an ovenproof dish, 15-20 minutes is long enough just to cook them through.

BREAD

1 long French loaf
½ punnet fresh basil or rocket

Slice the loaf in half lengthways. Remove some of the soft white inside (see chef's hint) and leave a 1cm thick shell. Spread the spicy dressing over the inside of the hollowed out French loaf.

Line the bottom half with plenty of green leaves. Spoon the meatballs onto the leaves.

Drain the salad of all liquid and spoon over the meatballs. Cover with the top half of the French loaf. Cut into shorter lengths for serving. Extra salad can be served on the side.

CHEF'S TIP:
Crumb the soft inside of the French bread in a food processor and freeze for another use.

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Chilled Watermelon

Cut a well chilled, ripe watermelon into bit-size pieces and pass at the table.

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Wine suggestion:

CABERNET SAUVIGNON/SANGIOVESE 2007 is purrrrfect
teamed with our Glazed Meatloaf :

Colour:	Dark ruby red with purple hues and a bright rim.
Bouquet:	A combination of dried fruit and spices backed by lively vanilla and oak aromas.
Taste:	The nose follows through on the palate with fruit and oak contributing to a well-rounded feel with a backbone of ripe tannins.
Ageing process and potential::	Ready to drink now, but with further cellaring the wine will gain in complexity and character over the next year or two.

Enjoy our Saturday Treat with a glass of the
delightful SHIRAZ/MOURVEDRE 2007 :

Colour:	Light red with ruby hues and a bright rim.
Bouquet:	A combination of dried fruit and spices.
Taste:	Medium-bodied, fresh and fruity with a spicy background.
Ageing process and potential::	The wine is ready to drink now but with further cellaring, it will gain in complexity and character over the next year or two.