By Johnathan L. Wright
Reno Gazette-Journal

All retro foods are not equal. Some, like cherries jubilee, are little more than opportunities for culinary exhumation. Others, like meatloaf, are different, managing to summon the kitchens of childhood and present a backdrop for the ingredients of today. Nostalgia and relevance in one dish.

That mix makes sense because for every off-the-interstate joint serving meatloaf unchanged since the Kennedy presidency, there's a place that added a new chapter to this dish's evolution.

For every "cuisinista" who considers classic meatloaf to be hopelessly retrograde, there's a busy home cook who appreciates its low cost and quick prep time.

In the past decade, Bon Appetit magazine has published almost 20 meatloaf recipes, including one for meatloaf with mustard-dill sauce and another for veal meatloaf with red bell pepper and spinach. And recently on the Food Network, chef-host-scientist Alton Brown draped his Good Eats meatloaf with a ketchup-cumin-hot pepper glaze. Taking a trip down meatloaf memory lane, it appears, leads to a contemporary tasty terrain.

"Meatloaf is the cornerstone of comfort food," says chef and restaurant owner Nancy Moyle, "but that's only the beginning."

Like soups and stir-fries, meatloaf is a dish that you truly build by feel. Still, one rule must be followed, whether you're making mama's meatloaf or something snazzier.

Meatloaf is an invitation to improvisation, as one cookbook puts it, a chance to explore, among other things, the interplay of ground meats. Ground beef mixed with smaller portions of ground veal and pork produces a light, flavorful loaf.

Moistening agents also can be varied - and well beyond the classic ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Try using chicken or beef stock, or milk or heavy cream. Thai peanut sauce muddled with light soy sauce and ground ginger would add grace notes of Asia. And, of course, there's always beer or wine.

If you add too much liquid to the nascent loaf, no worries. Throw in some bread crumbs to soak up the excess.

Other strategies for preventing what Moyle calls "the childhood horror of dry meatloaf": covering the loaf with strips of bacon for a smoky flavor, or basting the loaf with a standby sauce made from pureed canned tomatoes mixed with dried fresh herbs.

But Moyle knows that yesterday's starch doesn't always cut it with today's loaf. People want something new on the side. In addition to her Gorgonzola polenta, Moyle says she likes to pair meatloaf with grilled and spiced potato pancakes, with mustard greens for a Southern meatloaf or with egg noodles for a "Stroganoff" version.

"I think you can even have eggs on the side of sliced hot meatloaf for breakfast," she said. "Like eggs and a sausage patty. Why not? Meatloaf can be whatever you want it to be."

Recipes

Italian Meat Loaf

12 ounces each: ground chuck, ground round

11/2 cups finely chopped onions

1 cup quick-cooking oats or bread crumbs

2/3 cup ketchup

2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon each: salt, pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 cup grated Parmesan

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

11/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Knead mixture with hands until well-blended, but don't overmix. Fill pan with meat mixture, mounding top. Place pan on baking sheet in center of oven and bake until meat is firm to touch and has shrunk from sides of pan, about 11/4 hours. (Center of meat loaf should register 160 degrees.) Pour off excess fat and let stand 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Joy of Cooking

Cajun-Style Meatloaf

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

4 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup chopped white onion

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup ketchup

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 pound andouille sausage, casings removed

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup dried bread crumbs

In small bowl, combine bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper, cumin and nutmeg; set aside.

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat. Add white onion, bell pepper, green onion, garlic, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce and reserved seasonings mix. Saute until mixture starts sticking to bottom of pan, about 6 minutes. Stir in milk and ketchup; continue cooking 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Remove vegetable mixture from heat and cool to room temperature. Place beef and andouille in an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add eggs, vegetable mixture and bread crumbs. Remove bay leaves. Mix well by hand and shape into a loaf about 1/2 inches high. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees 25 minutes, then raise heat to 400 degrees and bake 35 minutes. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Joe Eidem, Papa Joe's Kitchen, Reno, Nev.