Meatloaf, Italian Style

Meatloaf has always been one of my favorites, I absolutely went to school with meatloaf sandwiches on more than one occasion as a kid. And I have a high level of disdain for ketchup (blergh), which is not used in this recipe, although I am sure you can sub it out for the tomato sauce. I should also mention, this is modified from a recipe I read in Bon Appetit, from, of all places, Mario Batalli's father, who I believe runs a restaurant. This makes two loaves of meat, so cut it in half if you want less, but you can always freeze the second one. I would probably undercook it a little, and when thawing, take it out the day before.


What goes in:


2 lbs lean ground beef (15 to 20 percent fat)
1 lb grated fresh mozzerella (i usually put it in the freezer to firm it up a bit more, not more than half an hour)
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, crumbled, out of the casing
2 c fresh basil (as it was out of season, I used a little basil in a tube. Don't hate. About half a cup)
2 c fresh breadcrumbs (from bread you made! Kidding, I am trying to make up for the basil in a tube)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, chopped
1/2 c diced red pepper
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup tomato sauce (1/2 for in the meatloaf, 1/2 for the top)
3 large eggs, beaten a little
1/2 c dry red wine (some examples of dry red wines are Zinfandel, Cab Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Pinot Noir, Côtes-du-Rhône. Also, DON'T COOK WITH A WINE YOU WOULDN'T DRINK!!! Or serve others. SERIOUSLY!)


MEATLOAF


OK, as always, get your stuff ready to go. I don't think I have talked about the importance of the mise-en-place (sounds like meez on ploss). This is a french term which literally means "stuff in place" and is invaluable in the kitchen. So get your stuff ready, your onions chopped, your garlic minced, your tomatoes cut up. Beat the eggs, pour the wine, grate your mozz. Getting into a mindset of making your mise-en-place and having it ready to use is a good way to cook.


The recipe didn't suggest cooking the onions, but after having made the recipe a few times, I decided I wanted a little caramelization in the loaf, so now I sauté the onions, the peppers, AND to merge the flavors a little, and mellow some of their strength, I throw in the sun-dried tomatoes. I cook them for just a little bit, getting a little color onto the onions. I don't add the garlic, it is small enough that it cooks pretty nicely inside the meatloaf.


Start combining! I let the cooked veggies cool a bit before adding them, but since it was going into the oven right away, no big deal, other than not wanting to burn my hands. At this point, you can turn your oven to 375°, and get your two loaf pans ready to go. More on that later. Mix all the non-liquids first, then take half the tomato sauce, the eggs, and the red wine and put them in and mix mix mix!


Don't over mix! It makes things tough!


Now for the pans, you can use them or not. This recipe filled two bread loaf pans, or you can do it free form on a baking sheet. Either way works. Just be shore, if you just make a loaf without a pan, there will be some oil and liquids coming out, so put some non-stick foil on the bottom of your baking sheet. Once they are formed, put the rest of the tomato sauce on the top of the loaves. Open the ovens, put in the loaves. Once you have let the loaves bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes, they should be done!! You can drain out the loaf pans once they have cooled. 


YUM! Make a sandwich the next day with the leftovers! My favorite was always meat loaf sandwiches!