Polpettone

Making Polpettone Ahead

Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Freeze sliced for 2 months.

Polpettone: The Method

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1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 355°F. Squeeze the bread and mash it into the beef, pork, mortadella, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, garlic and salt. Mix lightly.

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2. Shape into a log 25 cm long.

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3. Spread half the passata in a baking dish, set the loaf on it and pour over the rest.

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4. Bake for 60 minutes, spooning the sauce over the loaf twice, until firm.

   Mark done Start 60 min timer

5. Rest for 10 minutes and slice.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

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Tips for Success

• Do not overmix the meat.
• Squeeze the soaked bread before mixing.
• Rest before slicing.

Some Background

The first sign it is ready is the smell: tomato and garlic bubbling around a golden loaf and the faint sweetness of mortadella. Polpettone is the Italian meatloaf, a big meatball that is baked, sliced and served in its own sauce.

The mix is minced beef and pork, soaked bread, egg, Parmesan, parsley and chopped mortadella, which gives the loaf its soft, fragrant flavour. Mix with a light hand and stop when it holds together, as overmixing makes it dense and rubbery. Soak the bread in milk and squeeze it, so it adds moisture without turning to paste.

Shape into a thick log and set it in a dish on a bed of tomato sauce. Bake at 180°C / 355°F for about 60 minutes, spooning sauce over it now and then, until it is firm and the centre is 70°C / 158°F. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve slices with the sauce and mashed potato. The cold loaf makes excellent sandwiches the next day.

Good Alongside

Mashed potato · Green beans · Crusty bread

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Ciabatta, Citrus Fennel Salad.

Changing the Recipe

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

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