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Dad's Meatloaf with Tomato Relish

Source of Recipe


From "Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen"



List of Ingredients



• -- Tomato Relish --
  
• Extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 onion, finely diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 2 red bell peppers, halved, seeded and finely diced
  
• 2 tomatoes, halved, seeded and finely diced
  
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle catsup
  
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• .
  
• -- Meatloaf --
  
• 2½ pounds ground beef
  
• 3 eggs
  
• Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
  
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• ¾ to 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (2 or 3 slices stale white bread, crusts removed, pulsed in the food processor)
  
• 3 bacon slices
  






Instructions



1. 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 to 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, catsup 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 of relish.
   
   
2. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
   This is where you get your hands dirty. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with 1½ cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Add the bread crumbs in stages, starting with ¾ cup; 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.)
   
   
3. Fill a 9- x 5-inch 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 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise. Place the pan on a cookie 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 to 1½ 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 tomato relish on the side.
   
   Makes 6 to 8 servings.