MOZZA INSPIRED MEATLOAF
Mozza is a restaurant in Los Angeles that my husband and I frequent. Meatballs are always ordered because they are extraordinary. We bought the Mozza cookbook specifically for the meatball recipe. My husband is a fantastic cook and every now and then he cooks for us. This is one of his favorite things to make. As any cook will tell you the best meal is one you don’t have to prepare. It is always a treat when he cooks, you know it’s going to be elaborate and worth waiting for. He felt that frying up meatballs was time consuming and it seemed like he could never make enough to satisfy the family. He had the brilliant idea to make a giant meatball or meatloaf so we could eat until our hearts content. He took the meatball recipe and converted it into a meatloaf recipe while adding his own twist. It is by far the best meatloaf I have ever had. When my husband tells us that he is making meatloaf we feel like it’s Christmas and we are in for a magical evening. Mozza meatloaf is my husband’s recipe that dare I say is even better than Mozza’s meatballs. You be the judge.
Time – 2 hours
Servings 6-8
Meat Loaf Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of ground pork
1 1/2 pounds of ground veal
1/2 pound of ground pancetta
2 eggs
1 head of parsley chopped
6 cloves of garlic minced
1 white or yellow onion diced
1 cup of day old bread diced, or 1 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup freshly shredded parmesan reggiano
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
2-3 teaspoons of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
Gravy Ingredients
1 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 cups of chicken stock
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 dried arbol chiles
1 bay leaf
Pan drippings from meatloaf
Meatloaf Preparation
Finding ground pork and veal at the supermarket is easy. Ground pancetta, however, is not as common. No need to fear because you can buy a hand-cranked meat grinder at any cooking supply store. If you are willing to make the $30 investment, you will be grinding your own meat for any dish that requires ground meat. Alternatively, you can ask your local butcher to grind all your meats. First, double coarse grind your meats.
Soak the day old bread in a quarter cup of milk for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze any excess milk out of the bread and add it to a mixing bowl with your meats. You can substitute 1 cup of dried bread crumbs.
Add the garlic, parmesan cheese, mince garlic, chopped parsley, diced onion, eggs, salt, red pepper flakes, and ground pepper to the mixing bowl. Hand knead all the ingredients until evenly mixed.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Form your loaf in a roasting pan. I like to form a loaf no more than 2 inches in height. The width doesn’t matter. This will ensure even cooking of the meat. Place your loaf in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until there is a nice brown color to the meat.
Gravy Preparation
While the meatloaf is in the oven, you can start your gravy preparation. Place 1 can of whole peeled tomatoes with all the juice in a blender. Pulse to tomatoes briefly to a chunky consistency. Do not blend them smooth.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. The oil should coat the surface of the pan. Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, and ground black pepper to the skillet. Bring the tomato mixture to a boil then lower the heat to medium. Cook the tomatoes until thick, or about 15 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, arbol chiles, and bay leaf to the skillet and turn off the burner until your meat loaf is finished.
When the meatloaf is done, transfer it from the baking dish to a serving platter. Pour all the pan drippings into the gravy skillet at medium heat. Cook while stirring until the thick gravy consistency is reached.
Serve a slice of meatloaf with a ladle of gravy over the top. This meal goes great with mashed potatoes and red wine.
Enjoy!
What is your favorite meatloaf recipe?
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