In this time of pandemic, good home-made  meals come to the fore. You know what I mean: those stick to the ribs favorites that every family has a time-honored recipe for. So, this time around, it’s my Mother’s Meat Loaf. In Spanish-Nuyorican cuisine it’s Butiffarón (pronounced “Boo-Tee-fah-ron”).

We all have a favorite meat loaf recipe. It goes with the turf. There are as many meat loaf recipe as there are cooks. They range from the renowned preparation found on the back of the old Quaker Oats box to meat loaf made with bulger wheat and peaches (I dare you to try that one). Like everyone else we have our own version in the Rivera clan. Back on the block, my mother would make it for us at every request. And it’s the best we ever tasted.

Note that among the ingredients for this dish, we have aji dulce, or sweet chili peppers. These can be found in any Asian or Latino market. These peppers are sweet, not spicy. If you use the spicy ones, you have problems—it will ruin the taste.

Added Note: As an accompaniment to this meal we added white beans. Why? We had some on hand, and we prepared it it Nuyorican style—soak 1 pound  beans  overnight in water to cover by about 2 inches. Next day, drain, and place in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven with 8 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over moderate-low heat until beans are almost tender, about 1 hour. Add 3 tablespoons sofrito (recipe in post of 08/11/2010), 1 beef bouillon cube, salt to taste, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, and ¼ cup tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until beans are completely tender and the sauce has thickened somewhat.  Enjoy with the meat loaf.

BUTIFARRÓN
(Meat Loaf)

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef
8 whole black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium green or red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
3 aji dulce, seeded and chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup milk
¼ cup tomato sauce
1 cup unsalted cracker crumbs

Instructions:

1. Place meat in a bowl.
2. Combine peppercorns, garlic, oregano and salt in a mortar, and crush with a pestle. Add this to the beef and mix together.
3. Add the remaining ingredients in order of which they are given.
4. Mix thoroughly and pack into a greased loaf pan.
5. Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 1 hour or until well browned
Yield: 6-7 servings.