Since I was a child my mother used to make delicious meat loaf for special occasions on Sundays when some family visited from far away. And I used to absolutely love it! I just couldn't wait for it to come out of the oven and to be on the table. Even the next day we enjoyed it if there was some left over. A few christmas seasons ago, we were looking after people's house while they were overseas and for that christmas we decided to make meat loaf again, my husband's recipe. Now I share this devine recipe with you, especially in this cold winter months lying ahead, this is a nice meat loaf recipe to make and get the house warm with the stove on! Enjoy this with rice, pumpkin tart or green beans with silvered almonds.
MEAT LOAF:Put the vegetables into a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped, scraping down the bowl several times with a spatula.
2
Melt the butter with the oil and garlic in a large frying pan.
3
Add the vegetable mixture and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until most of the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is lightly caramelized.
4
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the thyme, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce(ketchup) and cayenne pepper.
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Leave to cool to room temperature.
6
Preheat the oven to 160° Celsius .
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Lightly brush a shallow roasting tin with olive oil.
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Put the beef into a large bowl and gently break it up with your fingertips.
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Add the cooled vegetable mixture, salt, pepper and eggs and mix gently with your fingers for just 30 seconds.
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Add the breadcrumbs and continue to mix until combined.
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The less you work the meat, the better the texture of the meatloaf.
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Put the meatloaf in the centre of the prepared roasting tin, dampen your hands with cold water and shape it into a loaf of about 15 cm wide by 10 cm high.
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Dampen your hands again and smooth the surface.
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Bake int the centre of the preheated oven for about 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile make the glaze.
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GLAZE:Whisk together the brown sugar, ketchup(tomato sauce), mustard and a pinch or two of salt in a small bowl.
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ASSEMBLING AND FURTHER BAKING:Remove the meatloaf from the oven and spread the glaze evenly over the top with a spoon and spread some down the sides as well.
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Return it to the oven and bake further for 35-45 minutes.
