Squash
- 1 small onion
- 27 oz whole green chili peppers
- 2 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 cup dry bread crumb
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 6 oz cheddar cheese
To prepare the meatloaf: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Drain, halve, and seed the green chilies. Pat them dry with a paper towel/absorbent paper, set aside four halves, and cut the remaining chilies into pieces ¼ in/6 mm long.
Put the onion, diced chilies, beef, pork, bread crumbs, eggs, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and mix with your hands until completely combined. Put half of the meat on a baking sheet/ tray and form the bottom of the meatloaf (about 6 in/15 cm by 10 in/25 cm).
Cut the cheese into slices ¼ in/6 mm thick and lay the slices down the center of the meat, leaving about 1 in/2.5 cm open around the edges. Put the remaining meat over the cheese and press firmly around the edges to seal in the cheese. Bake for 75 minutes. Lay the whole chilies on top of the meatloaf and bake for 15 minutes more, or until the meatloaf is cooked through. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then place it on a serving platter and slice.
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- salt
- pepper
To prepare the squash: Cut the squash into large chunks, remove the seeds and skin, and then cut it into pieces 1 in/2.5 cm long. (Cutting it into chunks first makes it much easier to peel.) Put the squash on a baking sheet/tray, add the canola oil, and toss until coated. Season with salt and pepper and bake with the meatloaf for 45 minutes, or until tender and browned on the edges.
Place the squash in a serving bowl and serve it with the meatloaf.
Recipe from The First Real Kitchen Cookbook by Megan & Jill Carle/Chronicle Books, 2011.
