Polpettone con carciofi e mozzarella (Italian meatloaf with artichokes & mozzarella)

For ➍-➏
6 artichokes
rice flour*
600 g of minced meat (half beef, half pork)
200 g of mozzarella
100 g of cooked ham, sliced
50 g of grated Parmigiano
4 eggs
breadcrumbs
50 g butter
nutmeg
1 clove garlic
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Clean the artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves, remove the internal beard and cut into wedges.
In a large pan, put 6 tbs of olive oil and the garlic clove. Pre-heat and add the artichokes, rolled in rice flour*, salt and stir. Add half a cup of water and cook for about 20 m, adding more hot water if necessary. When the artichoke is tender, turn off, remove the garlic and let cool. If you prefer you can coarsely chop the artichokes with the crescent moon.
In a bowl mix the minced meat with 2 eggs, grated Parmigiano, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper, add the breadcrumbs if the mixture is too soft.
Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet while maintaining a thickness of about 3 cm, mix well and cover with slices of ham. Now put the artichokes and then the coarsely chopped mozzarella on top.
Use parchment paper to roll up the meatloaf. Baste with the remaining beaten egg and cover with in bread crumbs. Put it in a lightly greased baking dish and pour over a little olive oil and some butter.
Bake at 200°C for about 1 h, basting occasionally with the sauce that will be formed.
Let cool and cut into slices. Eat warm or cold.

*optional.

Italian meatloaf

For ➍
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 jar of roasted peppers 300g
20 g parsley
1 mozzarella, 125 g
600 g ground beef, seasoned (oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage)
10 cl milk
3 slices of white bread, without crust
160 g pancetta, sliced

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Chop the onion and chop the garlic.
Let the peppers drip in a colander. Cut into strips.
Chop the parsley. Cut the mozzarella into slices .
Mix the minced meat in a bowl with the onion and garlic. Put the milk in a deep plate and soak the bread in the milk for 2 m. Squeeze out and mix with the meat.
Line the bottom and sides of the cake tin with the pancetta.
Divide the meat on the bottom and spread about half of the pepper, parsley and mozzarella. Make another layer. Spread the rest of the meat on top and close with the pancetta around.
Bake for about 30 m in the middle of the oven until golden brown. Take out, let rest 5 m in the mold. Carefully pour the fat out of the mold.
Cut into slices and serve with salad and baked potatoes.

American meatloaf

For ➍
1 kg lean ground beef*
1 large egg
1 small onion, grated
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tbs Dijon mustard or Worcester sauce
3 tbs ketchup
3 tbs breadcrumbs
1 tbs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 ts salt
¼ ts freshly ground black pepper
2 strips raw bacon**
butter & oil

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Coat a standard loaf pan*** with oil.

In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, egg, onion, garlic, mustard, ketchup, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and black pepper. Mix well with a large spoon or clean your hands.

Pack the meat mixture into the prepared loaf pan, rounding the top to form a nicely shaped loaf. If using the bacon, lay the strips along the top of the loaf**.

Bake for 1 h (or 45 m when using a broad tin).

Remove from the oven. Cool for 15 m in the pan/tin before releasing and slicing.

Serve with with a nice drop of mushroom gravy (or a mushroom-onion gravy), with mashed potatoes and vegetables like broccoli.

In summer, serve it cold with pickles or a good green salad. Or put a thick slice on toasted bread with some ketchup.

*Or a combination of ground beef, veal and/or pork.
**Optional.
***Or cake tin.

Ground meat was met with suspicion (and rightly so, giving the hygiene of the time) until the 1880's when meat loaf recipes turned up in the US, some 20 years after the first mechanical meat grinders surfaced. The preparation was called cannelon (of beef), still shaped in a roll, like sausages but without skin. Ground meat was a cheap answer to feed the industrial masses, and would not have been of the highest quality beef. Veal was a main source, and the mixing with pork was/is still common.
Small balls of minced meat were already popular, but quite expensive, in Europe. Meat, minced by hand, was documented in the States as a leftover cooked in sauce since the beginning of the 19th century.