Marvelous Muttloaf

A few months ago, a friend gave me a cookbook entitled, "Pupsnacks." It's a great illustrated cookbook especially for dogs. Everyone that knows me knows I LOVE cookbooks. In fact, you could say I am a bit of a collector of them. Some people buy shoes, some dresses, some buy wine -- I buy cookbooks -- and they're displayed all over my kitchen and home.

Now that I have started this blog and have written about Oliver's special diet, I thought I would try this cookbook. I started with the "Marvelous Muttloaf" and Oliver really LOVED IT!

The recipe is not too dissimilar to a meatloaf you might prepare for your family, at least in texture, shape and appearance. Where it starts to differ, however, is with the ingredients. Instead of ground beef (veal or pork), I made this one with ground buffalo. This is one of Oliver's "approved" proteins, and since ground buffalo is readily available in Ralph's now, it wasn't hard to start there. The hard part was finding a couple of other ingredients -- wholemeal breadcrumbs made with wheat-free and gluten-free bread and low-fat Parmesan cheese. I know I wouldn't ordinarily shop for those items, but there have to be some diet-conscious, gluten-conscious pedestrians (and dogs) out there.

I went to Whole Foods (we have the largest one in their chain located just a few miles from our house) and managed to find the special bread crumbs. However, there was no finding the low-fat Parmesan cheese anywhere. So, even though Oliver is an Italian dog by proxy (from my side of the family), he had to go without.

The muttloaf was easy to compose and the preparation was very similar to some of your family recipes -- beaten eggs, the breadcrumbs, tomato paste, parsley, etc. Then you place it in a loaf pan and bake it off, turn it onto a plate, and let it cool.

It was a huge HIT and if I didn't think I had a gourmet four-legged monster on my hands before, I certainly do now. I am not sure it will become a weekly ritual, however, I will try it again. And I will also try other recipes in the book (i.e., Pasta Bark Slice, Magic Meatballs, and perhaps even the New Bark Cheesecake) and share them with you in future posts. (Thanks again, Laura, for the gift!)

Until next time . . . Woof! Woof!

MARVELOUS MEATLOAF

Makes 8-10 portions

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 1-1/2 hours

5 oz. carrots, finely diced

4oz. fresh or frozen green peas

1 lb. minced beef (or buffalo)

3 oz. fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs, made with wheat-free and gluten-free bread

2 T. tomato puree'

1/2 oz. parsley, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

4 oz. low-fat Parmesan cheese, shaved

3 eggs, hard-boiled and shelled

1. Steam the carrots and peas until just tender and set aside to cool. Mix the minced beef with the breadcrumbs, tomato puree, parsley and beaten eggs, until well combined. Stir in the carrots and peas.

2. Roll the mixture into a ball and divide into half. Place the mixture in the base of a greased 2-lb. loaf tin, pressing firmly into the corners. Make a slight dip along the the center.

3. Sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan, then place the boiled eggs in a row down the center of the tin. Place the remaining mixture on top and press firmly around the sides and on top to completely cover the eggs.

4. Cover with foil and bake on the middle shelf of a preheated oven, 350F. for 1-1/2 hours. Turn out onto a plate and leave to cool. Cut into slices, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. Store any leftover muttloaf in the refrigerator for up to a week.

NOTES:

• Carrots are a great source of vitamin C, benefiting your dog's vision, skin and lungs. They are also rich in beta-carotene, which helps protect against cancer.
• If you cannot locate low-fat Parmesan, please skip this ingredient completely. Whole Parmesan cheese will have too much salt in it, an unhealthy ingredient for your dog.

Recipe courtesy of "Pupsnacks," by Stephanie Mehanna