Italian Meatloaf Polpettone Recipes

POLPETTONE WITH HARD BOILED EGGS (ITALIAN MEATLOAF)

Steps:

• In a small sauce pan bring 4 eggs and a generous amount of salt to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool before peeling.

ITALIAN MEATLOAF (POLPETTONE)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small pot of boiling water, boil the zucchini and potatoes. The zucchini will be finished before the other vegetables. Remove the zucchini when it's tender and set aside in a small bowl.
• In a medium sized bowl, stir together the ground meat, parsley, rosemary, breadcrumbs, chopped onion. Add in the zucchini and one of the potatoes. Add in the eggs, cheese, salt, pepper and rosemary and stir until combined.
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Scoop out 1/2 of the meatloaf mixture and pat it into a rectangle about 9 inches long by 4 inches wide.
• Line the hard-boiled eggs in the center of the meatloaf. Line up one of the carrots cut into slivers next to the eggs. With your hands add on the rest of the meatloaf mixture and pat it on top covering the eggs. Make sure no parts of the eggs are peaking out.
• Place the rest of the potatoes, carrots and onions around the meat loaf in the pan. Add the wine around the pan and drizzle the olive oil on the meatloaf and around the vegetables.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes in the center rack of the oven (until internal temperature is 150 degrees), basting occasionally with the pan juices.
• Remove the dish from the oven. Transfer the meat loaf to a cutting board, and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.
• Puree with an immersion blender (or in your blender)the vegetables that were in the pan and the juices. I had just made pumpkin soup that day and a added about a 1/4 cup of the soup to the juices from the pan to blend all together. If you don't have any pumpkin soup on hand, you could add broth or even a little water. Heat the sauce on medium-low before serving.
• Cut into thick slices. Arrange on a serving plate with the sauce on the bottom and serve with mashed potatoes.

POLPETONNE ALLA RICOTTA (MEATLOAF WITH RICOTTA)

Steps:

• NOTE: If using homemade sauce, it is convenient to have the sauce prepared in advance.
• Preheat the oven to 400° F
• In a large bowl, pour the milk over the bread cubes and let them soak until the bread is saturated, about 5 minutes. Squeeze the soft bread, a little at a time, pressing out as much of the milk as possible, discard the milk. Tear the bread into small pieces and add it back to the bowl.
• Crumble the ground beef into the same bowl. Add the eggs, ricotta, scallions, grated cheese, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Gently fold to incorporate all the ingredients together. Using clean hands, squeeze the mixture between your fingers to distribute all the ingredients evenly.
• Brush a roasting pan or baking dish with only 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the meat mixture to the pan and shape it into a loaf (the shape should be similar to a rustic loaf of bread). Lightly sprinkle the breadcrumbs on the top of the loaf, patting them in, while trying not to get too much in the pan - alternatively, add the meat to a work surface to shape it and add the breadcrumbs, then use two large spatulas to carefully transfer the meat to the oiled roasting pan.
• Drizzle the loaf with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the wine to the baking dish, pouring it around the loaf. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting the meat twice: 20 minutes into the baking time and once more during the last 10 minutes, until a nice golden color develops and a crust forms on top. The internal temperature of the meatloaf when done should read at least 160 F. Note during cooking that the meatloaf will render some fat into the pan.
• In the meantime, heat the tomato sauce in a large skillet or medium Dutch oven, one large enough to nestle the meatloaf in later, and keep it at a low simmer until ready.
• Transfer the meatloaf to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• Serve family style by adding the meatloaf to the sauce. Garnish with a drizzle of quality extra virgin olive oil and more Parmigiano, if desired. Be sure to scoop up some sauce when serving.