Lidias Italian American Meatloaf Food

ITALIAN AMERICAN MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the bread cubes in a medium bowl, and pour the milk over them. Let the bread soak until it is soft. Meanwhile, combine the carrots, celery, and onion in a food processor, and pulse to make a fine-textured paste or pestata.
• When the bread is soft, squeeze out the excess milk and put the bread in a large mixing bowl. Mix the pestata, ground meats, scallions, grated cheese, marinara sauce, parsley, salt, and oregano with the bread, using your hands to distribute all of the ingredients evenly. Oil a 10-by-15-inch Pyrex or ceramic baking dish with the olive oil. Form the meat mixture into a loaf in the oiled pan.
• Place in the oven, and bake until browned and cooked through (the center of the meatloaf should read 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer), about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Note
• About dried oregano: I typically like fresh herbs, but in the case of oregano I prefer it dried. However, I do not like the jarred product: I always buy a bouquet of dried oregano, from either Italy or Greece. It comes wrapped in a plastic bag and is easy to handle. Just rub the oregano in the plastic between your hands and shake the loose leaves out from one side. Then wrap the bouquet to seal it, and store in a dry place for next time.
• Oregano is great to flavor sauces, stuffing, in braised meats, and on pizza and focaccia. I even use it when I make myself sunny-side-up eggs with grated Grana Padano.

MY MOTHER'S ITALIAN-AMERICAN MEATLOAF

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• 2. Put the beef, veal, and pork into a bowl and kneed them together.
• 3. Pour the milk into a bowl and soak the bread in it, squeezing it into a paste. Add the soaked bread to the bowl with the meat and work them together as though you were kneading dough. Add the cheese, garlic, onion, eggs, oregano, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and knead again until well incorporated.
• 4. Oil a large roasting pan with the olive oil. Form the meat mixture into a large loaf in the center of a roasting pan.
• 5. Stir in the plum tomatoes, tomato paste, and 1 cup water together in a bowl and pour the mixture evenly over the meatloaf. Scatter the carrots and celery in the pan around the loaf.
• 6. Put the pan in the oven and bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out warm, about 1 1/2 hours. If the loaf begins to look dry while cooking, tent it with aluminum foil. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool slightly.
• 7. Slice the meatloaf into servings, put 1 serving on each plate and spoon pan gravy and vegetables over and around the meatloaf.
• Your Nightly Specials
• You can make the loaf with beef and veal only, or with just beef.
• Lay some raw bacon strips over the loaf before baking. (This was one way my mother made her meatloaf extra special.)
• Add some sautéed mushrooms to the pan during the last 20 minutes of cooking.