Ground beef and speck meatloaf
( Polpettone di carne e speck)

Recipe for ground beef and speck meatloaf

Preparation and cooking

• - Prepare all ingredients.
  Soak stale bread in cold water.
  Peel and chop onion.
  Wash chives and pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper.
  Halve speck slices. Set aside one half and cut the other into thin strips.
• - Prepare meatloaf.
  Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
  Put ground beef, speck cut into strips, egg and quail eggs, parsley, chives (I generally cut chives into little pieces with scissors) balsamic vinegar, soaked bread (well squeezed from its cooking water), plain dried breadcrumbs and salt according to your own taste in a bowl.
  Mix well all ingredients until soft and homogeneous mixture.
  Line a silicon mold for plum cake with remaining speck slices.
  Transfer your meat mixture into the mold.
  Press well and level the surface. Fold inward the slices of speck that may eventually emerge from the mold.
• - Baking.
  Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes. Cooking time depends on the thickness of your meatloaf. If it arrives at the level of the mold calculate 50 minutes. Otherwise 40.
  Don't worry if your meatloaf will produce some cooking liquid at some point. This is normal. Don't continue cooking over the specified time to avoid meatloaf from drying out.
• - Turn upside down meatloaf on a large plate. This action will allow you to remove any liquid in excess.
  Let it rest a few minutes and transfer it on a serving dish.

Just before serving

• - Serve your meatloaf warm or cold.

Note

Tips

• - You can prepare ground beef and speck meatloaf in advance. The evening before for the lunch of the day after. In the morning for dinner.
  If you want to serve it warm, put it in the oven at 100°C (210°F) for ten minutes.
• - Add some pistachios to other ingredients, if liked.
• - Add a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese to other ingredients, if liked. I don't recommend it if you have to prepare this meatloaf when you don't know well your guests. Cheese isn't liked by everyone and cases of intolerance are increasing.
• - Surely someone will ask why two quail eggs in the meat and speck meatloaf. Two eggs are too many and they would increase the amount of bread. I always keep at home quail eggs because they help me a lot in the kitchen to break up hen eggs. 5 quail eggs equal one whole hen egg.

Menu planning

• - Ground beef and speck meatloaf is certainly a dish for your invitations or special occasions.
• - Look at the photo. You can accompany it with hard-boiled quail eggs garnished with mayonnaise.
  As you can see I often make tomato salad too.
  Boiled potatoes are perfect, aren't they?
• - As I've written above this meatloaf is perfect for a meal, buffet-style. It's tender and you can eat it easily even standing.

Healthy eating

• - Calories and fat of ground beef and speck meatloaf are quite limited. This depends essentially on the absence of oil and the fact that proper portions of meat per person are fully respected. Now the question is: why do I suggest it only for a special occasion? because cold cuts should be consumed in doses of 50 to 100 grams per person per week. And because the portions are thought to place this dish in a full menu with several courses, so they are quite small. In other words not exactly satisfactory.
• - Fiber per serving: 0.9 grams

What's the right wine ?

Pair a table wine such as Bardolino (red wine from Veneto in Italy) or a rosé wine. My husband and I like very much Hiso Telaray (Apulia)