Italian Meatloaf / Polpettone di Carne
Is there such a thing as Italian meat loaf? Yes, but not cloaked in ketchup, oozing cheddar cheese and accompanied by mashed potatoes. Italian meat loaf (polpettone) means meat roll or meat ball and recipes vary by region. In Emilia Romagna ground beef, pancetta, cinnamon and nutmeg are typical ingredients. While in Tuscany, ground veal, carrots and onions are frequent ingredients and in Rome, lamb, eggs, white wine and celery are popular. My mother insisted that beef, veal and pork gave the best flavor, and I have taken a little liberty with her recipe and started my own meat loaf tradition.
SERVES 8
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground bee
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 medium baking potatoes, cooked, peeled and riced
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1 cup grated carrots6 thin slices prosciutto di Parma or boiled ham
- 1 cup grated Asiago cheese
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- Ingredients
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl combine the beef, pork, potatoes, eggs, garlic, salt, parsley, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and carrots. Do not over mix or the texture will be tough.
- Transfer the mixture to a large sheet of parchment paper and flatten the meat into a 14 x 10 inch rectangle with wet hands or lay a sheet of wax paper over the meat and flatten with a rolling pin.
- Transfer the meat to a rimmed baking sheet.Lay the prosciutto slices over the surface of the meat and sprinkle the Asiago cheese evenly over the top.
- Starting at the shortest side, roll the meat up like a jelly roll, using the parchment paper as a guide, and shape it into a loaf. Be sure no cheese or ham is exposed at the ends.
- Bake for 35 minutes.
- Combine the wine and broth and slowly pour in the pan along the sides. Return the meat to the oven and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 155-160°F.
- Use a large metal spatula to transfer the meat to a serving platter. Slice crosswise into thick slices and serve with some of the pan juices.
This recipe was featured on Season 20 - Episode 2014.
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Comments
Bobbi Flood
This was so easy to make, and was delicious! my mother in law is from northern Italy and would appreciate this meal! The only hing I had to change was the rice potatoes. i don’t have a ricer so I just grated it, worked great!
Angela
My friends and I didn’t want the usual Christmas dinner so I suggested this meatloaf recipe. We had fun making it, and it was delicious, of course. Thanks Mary Ann for another memorable meal!
irene
this is a delicious recipe made it for company and everyone loved it.
Adele Lesandro
I watch your show every time your on.I love you and your show. I learned a lot from you about italian cooking because i am of italian decent.
Adele
steve s
recipe was only so-so. i made it a second time but i used ground beef, pork, & veal. subbed the potatoes with panko soaked in milk, put a layer of roasted garlic on the flattened meat, then a layer of fresh spinach leaves, then shredded provolone, then fire roasted red peppers omitted the wine, i left the meat in the parchment paper after rolling and made a sealed package it was way better than this version.