Meatloaf

Happy Woman’s Day to all you hardworking ladies out there! I’ve been wanting to post this for ages, but other recipes, thoughts, musings and other tasks have grown and surpassed it for some time. But here it finally is, and about time too – it’s one of my favourites and this is a good reminder that I must make it again. This recipe undeniably always brings me to one of my dear friends in Michigan, who makes a beautiful meatloaf. Good times!

My guess is that meatloaf will never make it on any food trend list. I have said before that I’m not a believer of trends. They come and go. We’ll leave the trends for the chefs, without any disrespect of course. What we cook at home has to be practical, good, with a reasonable amount of prep. The less time, the better.

I thank Nigella for this one, and this is one of my riffs on it. And some macro photography with my then new lens!

• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 4 onions, finely chopped
• 1 – 2 tablespoons regular olive oil
• pinch of coarse salt
• a few glugs of Worchestershire sauce
• around 900g minced beef, preferably organic*
• 200g breadcrumbs
• a few strings of bacon, for the topping

Equipment:

• 1 loaf tin, greased lightly with a little butter or oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bring a pan of water to a boil and boil three of the eggs for around 7 minutes. When they’re done put them in a jug or bowl and cover them with cold water. Set aside.

Place a shallow pan over a medium-low heat and pour in the olive oil. Cook the chopped onions, adding the salt as they cook to soften, and keep an eye on them until they turn golden. Remove from the heat and let them cool in a bowl.

In a large bowl tip in the mince beef and Worchestershire sauce. When the onion is cool enough to touch, add it to the beef and give everything a good mix, preferably using your clean hands, but it’s up to you how you do this. Add the remaining raw beaten egg and the breadcrumbs and mix again.

Divide your mixture into two. Pat the first half onto the bottom of the loaf tin. Peel the boiled eggs and place them on top of this first layer, along the middle. Top with the second half of the minced beef mixture, over the eggs and making sure to press gently into the tin to eliminate any holes. Seal the edges well.

Top the meatloaf with the bacon, and bake for around an hour until the juices run clear and once it’s out of the oven, let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This should make it easier to slice.

Any leftovers will make delicious sandwiches! Enjoy!

Rob x

*I rarely if ever emphasize the need for organic, not because I don’t prefer it, but I can understand that not everyone can get it. Here though, it really makes a big difference. Packaged meat from the supermarket tends to have an annoying amount of water with goodness knows other nasty stuff injected into it. Apart from health issues, which I will not go into here because I have to keep this short, the excess liquid will end up in the meatloaf mixture turning it into gloop. Not good. So try to get your mince from a trusted local butcher.

(Recipe adapted from Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home, Nigella Lawson, Chatto & Windus, 2010.)

Browse through more C&T right here:

One year ago: Strawberry and Banana Milkshake

Two years ago: Beef and Anchovy Stew

Three years ago: Kwareżimal (Maltese recipe)

Four years ago: Chocolate Muffins for Mother’s Day

Five years ago: Pappardelle with Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese

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