Polpettone - Italian meat loaf

Here we are, the meat loaf! At this point everybody makes meat loaf and everybody has their own recipe. Here's the one that my granny Nonna Lu taught me, and I find it the softest, juiciest meat loaf on the planet! You can of course omit the sauce and serve it with mayo or garlic mayo, but the sauce gives it a softness that's unparalleled.

Nutritional Values:

Ingredients (serves 9 people):

For the meat loaf:

• 500gr minced meat (beef - ground)

• 300gr onions (1.5 big ones)

• 15gr garlic (4 garlic cloves)

• 2 eggs

• 200gr fresh breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp dry thyme

• 2 tsp dry sage

• 2 tsp dry rosemary

• 2 tsp fine salt

• 1.5 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 200gr Italian dry fine breadcrumbs (pangrattato)

• TIP: if you cannot find pangrattato, simply toast quite well 200gr of bread, then put it in pieces in a food processor and mix till it becomes quite fine

• 500gr (play it by ear) vegetable oil for frying

For the sauce:

• 15gr garlic (4 garlic cloves)

• 1/2 big onion

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 3 tins of chopped tomatoes

• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp fine salt

• 1 tsp freshy ground black pepper

• 200gr meat (better if beef) broth

Method:

• Coarsely dice the garlic and the onions, then mix them in your food processor but do not achieve a pulp consistency, you want to still see small pieces of onion

• Put the beef in a big bowl

• Add the eggs, the onions and garlic, the herbs, spices and salt

• Mix very well with your hands

• Add the fresh breadcrumbs gradually while you keep mixing with your hands. You will notice that the consistency becomes firmer by the minute and you'll be able to give it a shape

TIP: do not ever use a food processor to mix your polpettone! you need to use your hands, otherwise it'll be a senseless pulp

• Put your dry breadcrumbs (pangrattato) onto a plate, then coat your meat loaf carefully, pressing well (with this quantity of ingredients, as you can see I am making 2 meat loaves)

• Heat your vegetable oil in a deep pan until very, very hot

• Carefully place your meatloaves in it, the oil should come halfway up the sides

• Fry them on high heat and turn them on all sides until evenly fried like this (of course place them on kitchen paper when ready):

• At this point (but you can do this well in advance) start the tomato sauce by chopping the garlic and the onions quite finely

• Put the olive oil in a deep pot with a very thick base, a Dutch oven works fine for example:

• Add the tomato tins, and add the herbs, spices and salt

• Cook on medium-high heat for some 10 mins stirring every now and then

• Add now the fried meat loaves into the pot with the sauce, and turn them around until they're evenly coated

• Lower the heat to medium and cover with a lid

• Cook for 5 mins on each side, turning them around until each side gets has absorbed some thick sauce

• Now add the meat broth and stir it well

• Continue to cook with a lid on medium heat, let it cook for 40 mins, turning the loaves upside down halfway through and keeping an eye to make sure that the bottom doesn't catch (a little is alright, a lot is not)

• Your Polpettone is ready!

TIP: It's fantastic if cooked a few hours before, or a day before. It'll keep in the fridge for a couple of days