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Tyler’s Dad’s Meatloaf w/ Tomato Relish

Source of Recipe

"Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen"


Recipe Introduction

Tyler is Tyler Florence – this is the second thing that I have made from his cookbook, “Tyler Florence’s Real Kitchen” and I really like this cookbook. I made this tonight and it is wonderful! Just the perfect texture – not too dense (I hate meatloaf that is like a big hunk of hamburger) and not too fluffy! The tomato relish is delicious, too! I am not a huge bell pepper fan, so I substituted an extra tomato for one of the peppers and chopped it REALLY finely in a mini-processor.

List of Ingredients

TOMATO RELISH:
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded and finely diced
¼ c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12 oz.) bottle ketchup
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

MEATLOAF:
2 ½ lb. ground beef
3 eggs
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ c. to 1 c. fresh bread crumbs
3 bacon slices



Recipe

TOMATO RELISH:
Coat a skillet with a 2 count of oil and place over medium heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes for create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire, season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups or relish.

MEATLOAF:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. This is where you get your hands dirty: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with 1 ½ c. of the relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs in stages, starting with ¾ c.; you may not need all of them. To test, fry a small “hamburger” patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.

Fill a 9X5” loaf pan with the meat mixture and tap the pan on the counter so it settles. Flatten the top with a spatula and cover with another ½ c. of the relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise. Place the pan on a cooky sheet; this prevents the liquid from dripping and burning on the bottom of the oven (I also recommend rotating the meatloaf a few times so the bacon browns evenly).

Bake the meatloaf for 1 – 1 ½ hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining relish on the side. Unbelievably moist.