MEATLOAF WITH TOMATO RELISH

Meatloaf With Tomato Relish image

I guarantee that this will be the VERY BEST MEATLOAF you will have ever had. If you have any questions e-mail me: [email protected]

Provided by Alan Leonetti

Categories Pork

Time 1h50m

Yield 6-8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 18

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Ingredients

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 fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
1 (12 ounce) bottle ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 slices white bread (crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand)
1/4 cup whole milk (or Half and Half)
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 eggs
1 leaf from 2 fresh thyme sprig (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 -4 bacon, slices

Steps:

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 mix 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 cookie sheet 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. The meatloaf will be unbelievably moist!