This meatloaf is as simple as can be – it is all about the meat (and butter, and Port Wine). And as a lot of the dishes I cook and love, it comes from my Mum’s endless repertoire of yummy homely foods.
If I want to make a fancier version I use herbs (parsley and oregano work well), chopped onions and/or garlic, grated parmesan and sometimes a tiny bit of chorizo (not too much as it can overpower the other meats). Feel free to add any combination of these until you have your favourite version. But trust me, the simple version is divine just as it is and it is dead simple to make. I wanted to post this version because I stand behind it flavour wise and didn’t want to complicate the recipe for the sake of it.
A lot of the flavour comes from the pork that is mixed with the beef and the Port Wine (any young ruby will do). The butter makes the whole thing moist and yummy. This recipe has been perfected after many attempts and the things to keep in mind are:
– The eggs make the meatloaf tougher, so if you have added 2 and feel the mix has bound well, don’t add a third
– The butter can burn in the oven but you can add a few drops of olive oil to prevent this
– If you see the butter and Port mix is drying out, add a little water
– To crust the outside, crank the oven up 5 to 10 minutes before it is due to come out of the oven
- 350 grams minced beef lean
- 350 grams minced pork
- 13 cream crackers
- 3 eggs medium or large
- salt
- black pepper freshly ground
- breadcrumbs
- butter
- 60 ml Port wine ruby
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit, gas mark 4).
- Blitz the cream crackers in a food processor until they are reduced to a sandy texture.
- In a large bowl, mix the meats and the cream cracker crumbs.
- Add the eggs one by one to bind. The eggs are to ensure the mix doesn’t crumble, the meat mixture is smooth and you can mould it into a loaf shape. Once you achieve this don’t add any more eggs as they will harden the meatloaf once it’s cooked.
- Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and mix well.
- Shape the mix into a long rounded loaf shape approximately 10cm (4in) wide.
- Blitz the breadcrumbs in a food processor until they have fine texture and coat the loaf all over.
- Place in a deep baking tray, loaf tin or deep Pyrex dish and pour the Port wine over.
- Add little knobs of butter to the top of the loaf and place in the middle of the oven.
- Roast for 1 hour or until golden brown.
No Comments