Name: vhm loaf
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients: 300 ml milk; 50 g fine breadcrumbs; 800 g minced meat ((100% beef)); about 250 g carrots; about 100 g frozen peas; 3-4 spring onions; 1 can tomato purée ((about 80 g)); 3 eggs; 3 cloves of garlic; 2 tbsp fresh chopped thyme; 2 tbsp fresh chopped oregano; 2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary; 100 g roughly grated pecorino; 1 tsp salt ((at least)); 1 tsp finely ground black pepper; a casserole ((32 cm / 1900 ml))

To disclose the vhm shortcut: v is vegetables, h is herbs & m is meat.

We are preparing a classic meat loaf w/ lots of vegetables & lots of fresh Mediterranean herbs: a meat loaf you may enjoy hot, warm or cold as well.

What do we need?

There are:

minced meat (beef only!)
milk & breadcrumbs
eggs
carrots, peas (frozen) & spring onions
tomato purée & garlic
fresh herbs (a mix of thyme, rosemary, oregano)
pecorino.

Don’t forget to preheat your oven to 160° C fan!

Mix milk & breadcrumbs & let the mess rest … Clean & trim & chop the vegetables as well as the herbs. Press the garlic.

Grate the pecorino – only roughly!

Grab a big bowl & put everything in: the meat, the eggs, the spices & the herbs, the vegetables, the pecorino, the milk-breadcrumb mix – one after the other & start kneading until everything is well mixed.

Finally you’ll have a nice soft meat mess.

I decided to do the meat loaf in a casserole.

My ingredients added up to fill the casserole to the brim. It’s possible to adjust the amounts of ingredients proportionally – maybe except of the eggs which we add always as a whole egg. You should think about which casserole or whatever you like to use as well as how much meat loaf you need!

So the casserole marched in the oven to be cooked for at least 60 min.

The meat loaf doesn’t stick to the edges of the casserole – fine. Some liquid likes to fill the gap – just pour it away as soon as possible to prevent the meat loaf soaking up the liquid & getting very, very squishy.

When serving hot just after leaving the oven you are able to make slices, however, the meat is very soft & crumbly. Nevertheless … When the meat loaf is at room temperature it’s more packed: the slices are easier to make.

You may serve the meat loaf at once when coming out of the oven w/ potatoes & vegetables or fresh bread or … whatever you like.

You may also let it cool down or even store in the fridge for some time in order to present the meat loaf as part of buffet (cold or slightly re-heated!).

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

vhm loaf

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Servings: 10

ingredients:

300 ml milk
50 g fine breadcrumbs
800 g minced meat (100% beef)
about 250 g carrots
about 100 g frozen peas
3-4 spring onions
1 can tomato purée (about 80 g)
3 eggs
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
2 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
100 g roughly grated pecorino
1 tsp salt (at least)
1 tsp finely ground black pepper

equipment:

a casserole (32 cm / 1900 ml)

how to:

Mix milk & breadcrumbs & let it rest.
Preheat the oven to 160° C fan.
Clean, trim & chop the carrots – nice little bits!
Clean, trim & chop the spring onions.
Clean, trim & chop the thyme leaves, the oregano leaves & the rosemary needles.
Add pressed garlic & salt & pepper.
Grate the pecorino.
Roll up your sleeves & start kneading: minced meat, eggs, herbs, vegetables, pecorino …
Finally add the milk soaked breadcrumbs.
Fill the mess in a casserole & bake it for at least 60 min.
There will be some liquid in the casserole (around the compact meat loaf): just pour it away – at once!

Notes

Minced meat: I worked w/ organic minced meat; therefore the minced meat was rather dry i. e. only very few water emerged when cooking the minced meat.

Vegetables: I used only raw vegetables; the carrots became al dente. If you like your carrots soft you need to put the carrot bits in boiling water for 4-5 min before adding to the meat mess. Drain well.

Liquid: The vegetables will release water when cooking. Just pour it away when the meat loaf leaves the oven. If you don’t do so the meat loaf will get soaked & sludgy.

Frozen peas: You may also start w/ fresh peas. The net weight after trimming shall be about 100 g.

Herbs: Discard the stems & stalks before chopping. The amounts are a suggestion. When making the meat loaf I was short of fresh oregano, but had more than enough rosemary & thyme. Feel free to change the proportions of the chopped herbs.

You may serve the meat loaf at once: it’s very soft & a little crumbly.

You may let it cool down & store in the fridge for some hours. The meat loaf gets more packed then & may be cut easily into slices.

The meat loaf may be served hot, warm & cool as well.

Overall the meat loaf may be stored in the fridge for at least 4-5 days.

Sorry: no experiences w/ freezing!