Western Blind Rabbit

A plain three-meat loaf of the kind that once travelled well to camp: mixed cold, baked in one pan, good sliced the next day. A few of the printed measures need translating.

• Oven temperature"moderate oven" is usually taken as about 350F, though period sources put it anywhere from 350F to 375F. One hour at that heat is about right for a loaf made from a pound and a half of meat.
• DonenessThe recipe gives no test. Because it contains ground pork and veal, take it to 160F at the centre on an instant-read thermometer rather than trusting the clock.
• Pepper quantityThe pepper is printed as "18 teaspoon," a garbled 1/8 teaspoon, the same typographic slip that turns 1 into I elsewhere on the page. An eighth is a light hand for a loaf this size; a quarter teaspoon suits some modern palates.
• The meatsA pound and a half total, half a pound each of beef, veal and pork. Buy them ground rather than chopping by hand; ask the butcher for a coarse grind if you want texture. If veal is hard to find, more pork is the usual substitute and keeps the loaf from drying.
• Bread crumbsThe instruction to soak and squeeze them points to soft crumbs from a stale loaf rather than dry packaged crumbs, and that step is what keeps the loaf tender, so do not skip it. Dry crumbs will need extra liquid.
• MixingCombine with your hands or a fork only until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Working the mixture hard, or in a food processor, gives a springy, sausage-like loaf.
• Baking vesselThe recipe says only to "make into a loaf," which suggests free-forming. Free-formed on a shallow baking sheet the loaf browns on all sides and drains its fat; in a loaf tin it steams somewhat and keeps more moisture.
• YieldServes five or six hot, or makes about eight sandwich portions cold. Let it rest ten minutes before slicing or it crumbles.