I tend to shy away from making meatloaf at home. Growing up, my mother made meatloaf a lot. In fact, she made it almost every Wednesday. Now, she was an amazing cook but truth be told, her meatloaf was simply awful. We would scatter to our friend’s homes for dinner whenever we knew that her meatloaf was in the oven for dinner. She could turn out a mean platter of homemade pasta with her neighborhood-famous meatballs but a delicious, moist meatloaf somehow always alluded her. (I am sure it had a lot to do with having to put in a full day’s work, and then come home to figure out how to quickly throw dinner together for her hungry family).
The addition of prosciutto around the meatloaf really makes a difference © dreamstime
Finally I was swayed by a recent issue of the Italian cooking magazine Sale&Pepe, which featured a multi-page spread of beautiful rolled meats and roasts stuffed with all sorts of gorgeous in-season veggies. It was their photo of a beautifully rolled meatloaf stuffed with spring veggies that finally won me over. It was time to adjust my anti-meatloaf attitude.
© dreamstime
Here I have used a mixture of veal, pork and beef: feel free to use all beef but be sure it isn’t too lean to keep the meatloaf moist. The addition of prosciutto as a layer within is genius.The fat of the prosciutto melts into the meat as the meatloaf cooks helping keep it wonderfully moist on the inside. One tip – given the importance of seasoning for the meat – after the meatloaf is mixed, I like to pinch off a small piece and fry it up in a pan to taste the seasoning. Gives you an opportunity to adjust the seasonings to be sure you got them just right. I typically do this when making meatballs as well.
Don’t forget to let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes before serving © dreamstime
The result is a really tasty meatloaf that offers a beautiful presentation when sliced – a meatloaf not only worthy of a weekday family meal but of your next dinner party, too!
Blanching the asparagus is the first step of our recipe © dreamstime
Buon appetito,
Michele
Polpettone al prosciutto con asparagi
Adapted from Sale&Pepe, May 2019
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus (about 10 stalks)
½ cup plain, dry breadcrumbs
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
½ cup grated Parmigiano
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 pounds ground meat (I like to use a mixture of pork, veal and beef)
¼ pound prosciutto, sliced
Easy to make and tasty: polpettone di prosciutto con asparagus © Michele Becci
Directions:
Prep the asparagus: bring a medium pan of salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, rinse and trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Discard. Prepare an ice bath by adding ice to a large bowl. When the water is boiling, drop in the asparagus. Blanch for about 2 minutes until bright green and crisp tender. Drain the asparagus and drop into the ice bath to stop the asparagus from cooking. Once cool, drain and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prep the meatloaf: in a small bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in the milk. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, about 1 teaspoon salt and a few turns of black pepper. Cook until the onion is softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together the onion mixture, breadcrumbs soaked in milk, egg, grated Parmigiano and parsley. Add in the meat along with 1 teaspoon salt and a few more turns of ground pepper.
Lay out a large rectangle of plastic wrap or foil on the work surface. Distribute the meatloaf mixture on the paper, compacting and forming approximately a 12 X 10 inch rectangle. Lay the prosciutto on the meat surface followed by the asparagus spears. Lay the asparagus spears horizontally along the narrower end so you can roll the meatloaf. You may need to trim to fit the asparagus spears. Using the paper or plastic wrap to help, roll up the meatloaf to form a large rectangular loaf.
Place the meatloaf, seam side down, on a baking sheet. Drizzle the top with a little olive oil. (If you used foil to roll the meatloaf, you could just transfer the foil to the baking sheet and cook on the foil for easy cleanup). Place in the preheated oven and cook for approximately 45 minutes or until the center reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. (Time will vary depending on how thick your meatloaf is). Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Remove meatloaf to a platter. Slice and serve!
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