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Cuisine:Description
This veal meatloaf is just as good cold in a sandwich as it is drenched in rich gravy with a side of mashed potatoes or topped with Marinara and a side of fresh pasta.
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. of ground veal
- 3/4 of a pound of lean ground beef
- 3/4 of a pound of lean ground pork
- 3 oz. sliced Italian Pancetta
- 2 medium onions, chopped fine
- 1 1/2 cups of celery, sliced thin
- To taste – Fresh parsley, thyme and rosemary leaves (I found sprigs of young rosemary leaves which were easy to cut into a fine mince along with the parsley)
- 2 Extra large farm fresh eggs (well beaten)
- 1.2 cup to 3/4 of a cup of rich chicken broth.
- Progresso® Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
- Montreal Steak® seasoning or sea salt and freshly cracked pepper if you prefer. I find that the combination of spices works well with a wide variety of meats.
- 2–3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2–3 tablespoons of butter
Instructions
- Heat the olive and butter over medium heat.
- Sauté the celery and the chopped onions until soft. You do not want them to take on any color.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the ground meats to a large bowl. Break up the meat into the smallest pieces possible. This will help to blend them together more evenly.
- I toss the meat several times to combine the layers of veal, pork and beef without handling the meat itself.
- Sprinkle the spices and herbs evenly over the meat.
- Spread the onions and celery mixture evenly over the spices.
- Pour the eggs over the meat followed by the broth.
- Time now to blend the contents of the bowl into a well combined mixture – all this while handling it as little as possible!
- Spray two large loaf pans with olive oil.
- Fill with meat leaving a good inch of space at the top. With you fingers, push down along the edges of the pan to form a dome shape on the loaf.
- Top each loaf with 3 slices of Pancetta.
- Bake at 350 degress for about an hour or until done.
- Remove from the pan to drain.
- Allow to stand for about 15 minutes before cutting into thick slices and topping with gravy, barbecue sauce or Marinara sauce.
- I use rich beef gravy on a regular meatloaf, barbecue sauce on a pork meatloaf and Marinara on the veal version!
Notes
- When making regular hamburgers, I always add about 1/2 cup or more of water to keep the meat moistened during grilling. It can be beef broth instead of water. The same holds true when I prepare meat loaf. It also helps not to pack and toughen the meat. Handle lightly and as little as possible.
- Other uses for Pancetta: pan fry and crumble over pasta or add to soups. I also use the diced Pancetta in stews and various recipes instead of regular bacon.
