Meatloaf

(serves 2)

200 g minced beef
200 g minced pork
1 medium onionn, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 level teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 egg
40 g white bread, sliced and crusts removed, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon mustard powder or Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
50 ml dry white wine
Traditional smoked streaky bacon
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 150°C

The best way to make a meatloaf is in a large food processor, if you've got one. In which case you can begin by chopping the onions, garlic, parsley and thyme all together until the onion is very finely chopped, then add the meats and break in the egg.

Place the bread in a little bowl, spoon the milk over, then mix it with your hands or a fork until the bread has broken down to fine crumbs. Add these to the processor along with the mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, wine and a really good seasoning of salt and pepper.

Now, switching on and off, or using the pulse button, mix the whole lot together until thoroughly blended. If you don't have a food processor, grate or mince the onion, chop the garlic finely then mix everything thoroughly in a large bowl.

When the mixture is ready, pack it into the loaf tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon, then snip the rinds off the bacon and lay the slices all along the top of the meat, slightly overlapping, and press them down firmly. Now place a piece of foil over the top and twist or pleat the corners. Stand the tin in a shallow baking tin, pour about 4 cm boiling water into the tin straight from the kettle and place the whole thing on the middle shelf of the oven. Let it cook slowly for 2 hours. After that remove the foil and dig a skewer into the meatloaf; press it down to make sure that the juices are running clear. Now, if it's cooked, remove it from the oven then let it cool for about 30 minutes and after that, if you're serving it cold, replace the foil and place something heavy on top to weight it down. Leave it weighted like this until it's completely cold. This makes the meatloaf easier to slice. If you're serving the meatloaf hot, just allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the tin, covered with foil, then turn it out on to a board and serve cut in slices.

Aubergine parmegiana

This classic northern Italian recipe is a great way to serve aubergines. By layering them with Parmesan and tomatoes and then baking them you get an absolutely moreish, scrumptious vegetable dish. Great served with all sorts of roasted meats and with roasted fish as well.

(serves 2-3)

2 medium firm aubergines
olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of regular garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
400 g tins good-quality plum tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a little wine vinegar
a large handful of fresh basil
2 large handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 handfuls of dried breadcrumbs
a little fresh oregano, leaves chopped

optional:
1 x 150g ball of buffalo mozzarella aubergine parmigiana

First things first: remove the stalks from the aubergines, slice them up into 1cm thick slices, and put to one side. Whether you’re using a griddle pan or a barbecue, get it really hot. Meanwhile, put 2 or 3 glugs of olive oil into a large pan on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and dried oregano and cook for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft and the garlic has a tiny bit of colour. If you’re using tinned tomatoes, break them up, and if you’re using fresh tomatoes (which will obviously taste sweeter and more delicious, if they’re in season), very quickly prick each one and put them into a big pan of boiling water for 40 seconds. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and put them into a bowl of cold water for 30 seconds, then remove the skins, carefully squeeze out the pips and cut up the flesh. Add the tomato flesh or tinned tomatoes to the onion, garlic and oregano. Give the mixture a good stir, then put a lid on the pan and simmer slowly for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, grill the aubergines on both sides until lightly charred – you may have to do them in batches, as they probably won’t all fit into your griddle pan in one go. As each batch is finished, remove them to a tray and carry on grilling the rest until they’re all nicely done. When the tomato sauce is reduced and sweet, season it carefully with salt, pepper and a tiny swig of wine vinegar, and add the basil. You can leave the sauce chunky or you can purée it.

Get yourself an earthenware type dish . Put in a small layer of tomato sauce, then a thin scattering of Parmesan, followed by a single layer of aubergines. Repeat these layers until you’ve used all the ingredients up, finishing with a little sauce and another good sprinkling of Parmesan. I like to toss the breadcrumbs in olive oil with a little freshly chopped oregano and sprinkle them on top of the Parmesan. Sometimes the dish is served with torn-up mozzarella on top, which is nice too.

Place the dish in the oven and bake at 190°C for half an hour until golden, crisp and bubbly. It’s best eaten straight away, but it can also be served cold. You can use the same method substituting courgettes or fennel for the aubergines – both are delicious. But do try making it with aubergines – you’ll love it!