Ingredients:
extra virgin olive oil
1 onions, 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
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12 ounce) bottles ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
3 eggs
2 sprigs fresh thyme
salt
pepper
3 -4 slices bacon
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes.
Add red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes until soft. Add tomatoes.
Stir in the parsley, ketchup and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper.
Simmer relish for 5 minutes then remove from the heat.
Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper.
Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture.
Transfer the meat mixture to the center of a lightly oiled cookie sheet and form into a log (around 9 x 4-inches).
Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish and then lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.
Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm, rotating the meatloaf periodically to ensure even browning.
Remove the meatloaf from oven and let it cool a bit before slicing.
Servings: 6-8
Time preparation: 15 min.
Time total: 105 min.