The stuffed veal meatloaf is a very typical Italian dish. It may seem strange that meatloaf is eaten all over the world today, but it is true. Contrary to meatballs, in fact, of which there are typical recipes in all countries of the world (because everywhere there has always been the need to recover leftovers and bring them mixed to the table) meatloaf remained an unknown preparation until around 1600. unknown everywhere, except in Italywhere it has already been cooked for centuries.
The veal meatloaf, conceived as a layer of minced meat on a multi-ingredient filling, is one of the most classic interregional dishes. There are specific recipes both in the north (Friuli, Liguria, Lombardy, Emilia) and in the center (Tuscany, Marche, Abruzzo) and in the south (Campania, Puglia and Sicily).
The most common version is the one with mixed meats, usually pork, beef and veal, enriched with the most varied ingredients. In the case of stuffed veal, typical products from the area are usually used, such as particular cheeses, sausages or other sausages, eggs and breadcrumbs seasoned in various ways.
The recipe that we propose was sent to us by a kind Sicilian reader (Ragusa), and somehow it is typical of the interregionality of this dish. Indeed, the presence of speck and Parmesan would suggest the north, where eggs and pecorino cheeses are often found in stuffed veal meatloaf. Ingredients that would seem decidedly more typical of southern meatloaf.
- 600 g minced beef
- 800 g mushrooms
- 1 pork sausage
- 4 eggs
- 80g Parmesan
- 60 g of sliced ​​speck
- 1 clove garlic
- Breadcrumbs
- ½ walnut
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Clean the mushrooms, cut them into slices and pour them into a pan where you browned a minced garlic clove in 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook them for 10 minutes with the lid on over moderate heat, then another 8-10 minutes with the lid off and on a higher heat, so that they cook to perfection, leaving them dry. Two minutes before turning off, season with a tablespoon of chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper
- Prick the sausage deeply with a toothpick and let it defat for 5 minutes in a saucepan with two glasses of boiling water. When done, cut sausage in half lengthwise, peel and set aside.
- In a bowl, mix the minced meat with the eggs, Parmesan and 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Add salt and pepper and mix well mixing all the ingredients.
- Spread the mixture on a sheet of baking paper sprinkled with breadcrumbs, then shape it into a rectangle. Arrange the slices of speck and the two sausage halves in the center (along their entire length), add 4 tablespoons of mushrooms and then, rolling up the paper, give everything the shape of the classic meatloaf. Peel it off the paper and work it around a bit with your hands to solidify it.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, perfume with a generous sprig of rosemary, place the meatloaf in it and brown on all sides. Melt the 1/2 stock cube in a glass of boiling water, sprinkle it over the meatloaf and cook in a preheated oven at 190° for 50 minutes, turning every 15 minutes.
- Turn off the oven, open the door, and let the stuffed veal meatloaf rest for about 30 minutes, until warm. Finally, chop it up and serve it with the already prepared sautéed mushrooms.
