I call it multicultural because I have taken the best of several meatloaf recipes and come up with what I think is the tastiest, juiciest, exciting meatloaf I’ve ever tasted. It’s a little British, a little American, and a lot Italian. And it’s soooo good!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup red wine
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs (italian or herb flavoured is okay)

• SAUCE
• 2 tbsp  packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce
• 1 tbsp Worchester Sauce
• 1 tomato, sliced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5×9 inch loaf pan.
2. Mix the meat in a bowl with the first set of ingredients (except for sauce) then place in a bread loaf pan. (Some recipes call for forming a loaf on a baking sheet. I find it spreads too easily because of the liquids in this recipe. Stick to the loaf pan or oven proof pot)
3. In a small mixing bowl, mix thoroughly mix the sauce ingredients
4. Brush the sauce liberally over the top of the loaf to a level of 1/4 inch
5. Spoon the marinara sauce over the top
6. Bake covered in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.
7. 10 minutes before finishing baking, add the sliced tomatoes to the top of the loaf and remove cover.

This and other recipes occasionally pop up in the Artichoke Hart series (available here), or the London Cartwright series (available here). Both chefs are fictional… the dishes are not.