E&L's Infused Meatloaf

Fresh quality ingredients + a pinch of love will always result in a tasty dish.

This is a recipe that has been tweaked for sometime. For this version I used the filling for Stuffed Mushrooms but added more cream cheese and mozzarella to make it creamier and have it infused in the meat from the center out. As a side dish you can pair it with mashed potatoes or vegetables or a prepackaged Couscous with Moroccan-Spiced Veggies, so easy to make and ready in 6 minutes. Cant say enough of this wine to have this meal with: Di Giovanna HELIOS Nero d'Avola DOC Sicilia wine. This wine is crafted from a historic family parcel in Contessa Entellina, vines over 30 years old. A persuasive Nero d’Avola and Syrah blend, with aromas of sweet spice, black cherry and earthy notes.

Note: Easy to follow links have been to added to certain ingredients not commonly found. Also links to the wines and evo have been added as the wine(s) mentioned are actually paired by a winery in Sicily and not found in the states. For quality ingredients that you can have delivered right to your front door, go to Amazon Fresh - follow this link or Amazon Whole Foods Market .

HELIOS Nero d'Avola DOC Sicilia

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

1 lbs. ground beef

1 medium green bell pepper (quartered sliced)

1 medium red onion (quartered sliced)

2 celery stalks

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. salt

1 cup of grated creamy mozzarella

Filling: See stuffed mushroom recipe under Appetizer Section

Marinade:

1/8 cup of milk

1 whole egg

1 tsp sriracha

1 tbsp. salt

1 tsp. crushed pepper corns

1 tsp garlic paste

Cooking Steps

1. In a deep bowl, mix all Marinade ingredients. Cut slice of bread into small cubes and stir into marinade. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.

2. After 5 minutes, add meat thoroughly to combine all the ingredients, but do not over mix as this can make the meat tough. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 450 F. In an oven safe loaf pan or disposable aluminum pan, drizzle with oil.

4. Portion the meat into 2 half's. Place one half into pan, press down to compress the meat. With a fork or spoon, make a valley in the middle without going to deep to touch the bottom of the pan. Spoon in the filling to cover the valley you made. Cover with the the other half of the meat, making sure you seal all sides. Sprinkle the mozzarella over. cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the pre-heated oven to cook for about 40 minutes or till core temperature reaches 160 F.

5. Remove from the oven and remove foil, careful not to get burned from the trapped steam. Place back in the oven and broil for 6 minutes to brown the cheese.

6. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. (this is important as if you do not let it rest, the creamy filling may start oozing out)

7. Make your favorite side dish

8. Serve along with some garlic bread, and the Di Giovanna wine suggested in the intro.

9. Enjoy!