This meatloaf is fantastic served both hot and cold. It’s moist and earthy from a mushroom purée that’s mixed into the meat mixture, it’s bright from parsley yet homey from baking spices.

If you love wine as much as I do, this dish is wine pairing heaven. Served hot, it is a perfect match with pinot noir which has allspice and clove notes. Served cold, it is a perfect match with buttery Chardonnay.

As a note to meatloaf haters: just give this recipe a try. This meatloaf is dangerously good.

 

 

 

Makes: 1 meatloaf, serving 6 people

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Total time: 2 hours and 15 minutes

The Ingredients

1-pound lean ground beef

¾ pound ground pork

¾ pound ground veal

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 cup chopped Spanish onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

10 ounces package cremini mushrooms, washed, destemmed, and sliced

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 cup finely chopped parsley

1 ¼ cups fresh bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Bay leaf

 

 

 

The Steps

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil in a medium pot. Add chopped onion and garlic. Sweat over medium heat. Add mushrooms and dried thyme and cook uncovered until most of the mushrooms’ liquid is evaporated.

Place mushroom mixture in a food processor or blender and blend into a purée. Reserve.

In a large bowl, add parsley, fresh bread crumbs, beaten eggs, ground beef, pork, and veal.

To the mushroom purée, add black pepper, ground nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, allspice, and cayenne. Stir until blended, and add to bowl with meat.

Using two forks, blend all ingredients, trying to not compress the mixture into a dense pile.

When blended, turn into a 5×9 glass baking dish. Even mixture out to corners of dish.

Place bay leaf in center of loaf.

Fill a larger glass dish with 1 inch of hot tap water. Place dish with meatloaf in larger dish filled with hot water.

Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes, until meatloaf registers 160 degrees.

 

 

 

The Steps with Pictures

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil in a medium pot. Add chopped onion and garlic. Sweat over medium heat. Add mushrooms and dried thyme and cook uncovered until most of the mushrooms’ liquid is evaporated.

Place mushroom mixture in a food processor or blender and blend into a purée. Reserve.

In a large bowl, add parsley, fresh bread crumbs, beaten eggs, ground beef, pork, and veal.

To the mushroom purée, add black pepper, ground nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, allspice, and cayenne. Stir until blended, and add to bowl with meat.

Using two forks, blend all ingredients, trying to not compress the mixture into a dense pile.

When blended, turn into a 5×9 glass baking dish. Even mixture out to corners of dish.

Place bay leaf in center of loaf.

Fill a larger glass dish with 1 inch of hot tap water. Place dish with meatloaf in larger dish filled with hot water.

Bake for 1 hour 45 minutes, until meatloaf registers 160 degrees.