Polpettone is the classic Italian meatloaf of the Tuscan tradition. There are many versions of it — baked in the oven, in the pot or boiled. This version comes from my mum, who perfected the recipe in the years. It is very important that you let it cool down with a weigh on it to avoid that it breaks when you cut. It is excellent when eaten cold, with some vegetables or a fresh salad and a home made mayonnaise. You can also prepare amazing sandwiches with it (a lice of polpettone, a leaf of lettuce and some mayonnaise). The doses of this recipe make about 26 thin slices. If you are not going to eat the whole meatloaf in the first two days you can cut it in slices and freeze it.
Time: 20 minutes preparation | 1,5 hours cooking time | at least 1 hour cooling down
Special utensils
a fine clean gauze, one that has not been washed with soap
a weight (a very heavy dictionary will do)
kitchen thread
Ingredients
400 g minced meat (I like to use beef and turkey)
100 g mortadella
100 g cooked ham
50 g grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
100 g stale bread soaked in milk
1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk
salt, pepper
- Put 2 liters of water to boil with the carrot, the onion and the celery stalk.
- Squeeze and drain the bread and put it in a mixer with the mortadella and the ham. Mix everything.
- Put this mixture in a bowl and add parmesan, meat, the egg, salt and pepper. Mix everything with your hands.
- Form a meat loaf and press it well with your hands to take all air out.
- Wrap it in the gauze and bind it with the thread.
- When the water boils, place the meatloaf in the pot and let it boil gentle with a lid for about one and a half hour.
- Drain the meat loaf, cover with a sheet of aluminium foil and place a heavy weight on top of it. Let it cool down for at least one hour the slice it.
