Dad's Meatloaf with Tomato Relish
Tomato Relish:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Meatloaf:
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
1/4 cup whole milk
11/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3 eggs
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 bacon slices
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the
onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor.
Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften.
Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape
and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and
Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes
to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have
about 4 cups of relish.
Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover,
swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of
the ingredients for the meat loaf together.
This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the
ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and
thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread
and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small
"hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold
together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.
Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the
cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches
wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato
relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.
Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the
meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then
to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven
and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish
on the side. Unbelievably moist!
I went to see Mr, Brat. this weekend & he made this for us, it was very good.
Mrs. Brat.
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