Beef and Vegetable Meat Loaf

Portobello mushroom caps give this meat loaf an earthy taste. Make sure you mince the mushroom caps fi nely; do it in a food processor, if desired.

3 tablespoons canola oil, plus additional for the baking sheet

1 small onion, fi nely chopped

1 celery rib, fi nely chopped

1 pound portobello mushroom caps, fi nely minced

11⁄2 pounds 90% to 93% lean ground beef

1 large egg, lightly beaten in a small bowl

1⁄2 cup fresh bread crumbs, such as from a day-old roll or 2 bread slices

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons stemmed thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon minced rosemary leaves or

1⁄2 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the canola oil, then add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Add the minced mushrooms; continue cooking, stirring often, until they release their liquid, it evaporates, and the pan is almost dry, about 6 minutes. Set the pan aside to cool for 10 minutes.
• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a large lipped baking sheet; set aside.
• Pour the mushroom mixture into a large bowl. Crumble in the beef; then add the egg, bread crumbs, tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
• Make sure your hands are clean and work the meat into the spices, bread crumbs, and other ingredients, taking care not to destroy the meat’s fi bers but to get the mixture uniform. Form into a 10-inch loaf shaped about like a football cut in half the long way.
• Set on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the loaf registers 155°F (our preference) or 165°F (the USDA recommendation), about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes, as the internal temperature rises 5 degrees or so before slicing.

Makes 6 servings