A meatloaf from “A Meatloaf in Every Oven” book. This one comes from the chef Michael White whose NYC restaurant Marea on the South side of Central Park is famous for upscale pasta and celebrity watching. For years, I walked by this restaurant several times a week to my favorite barre studio in the city. Never had their much talked about pasta but saw quite a few famous faces hanging around.

This meatloaf definitely has to be baked in a loaf pan, it would not hold the shape on its own. The result is a silky smooth texture with fennel seeds reminiscent of Italian sausage. The loaf is large — 2 lb of meat, almost 2 cups of bread, and a large eggplant — lots of leftovers. But with time, the flavor only seems to improve on the second day and even third.

MEATLOAF
— 1 large eggplant, quartered lengthwise
— 2 slices of white bread
— 1/4 cup heavy cream
— 2 lb ground chicken (dark meat is better)
— 2 tsp fennel seeds
— 2 garlic cloves, crushed
— 2 eggs, lightly beaten
— 1 cup panko bread crumbs
— 1/2 cup grated pecorino
— 1/2 cup grate parmesan
— 2 tsp salt
— 1 cup roughly chopped basil

The process and potatoes are on the blog 👆

#food #cooking #meatloaf #homefood #coldweathercomforts #onmytable #inmykitchen