While flipping through The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook years ago after receiving it as a gift from Lisa, I came across this dish that was described as “spiced meat loaf with sesame topping.”  Intrigued, I decided to try making it and it has turned into a staple in our dinner rotations.  It’s probably not the prettiest dish, but the flavor makes up for it!  This goes extremely well with a bottle of spicy red wine, such as a nice California Zinfandel, or a hearty Cabernet Sauvignon and a zesty vegetable side, such as this Moroccan Carrot Salad.

Ingredients

Meat Loaf

• 2 lb ground beef or ground lamb (I generally use very lean ground beef)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 cup of finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Topping

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves

Garnish
About 3 tbsp pine nuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9×13″ baking dish with nonstick spray or grease very well.
2.  In a large bowl, combine all the meatloaf ingredients, and mix by squeezing through your fingers until well combined and smooth.
3. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared dish.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the top is browned.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the sesame topping.  Put the tahini in a small bowl, and slowly add the water, stirring vigorously.  Stir in the remaining topping ingredients.
5. When the meat loaf is browned, remove the dish from the oven and carefully drain off any excess fat that has been released from the meatloaf.  Be especially careful to not let the meatloaf fall out of the dish!
6. Spread the prepared sesame topping over the meatloaf.  Sprinkle the pine nuts on top.
7. Return the meat loaf to the 400 degree oven, and bake for about 10 minutes longer or until the topping is puffed and lightly browned, and the meat is cooked completely through in the center.

Makes about 6-8 servings.

Adapted from The New Jewish Holiday Cookbook, by Gloria Kaufer Greene