Polpettone!!

Last night, we tried the first of the frozen creations I made last weekend - the Polpettone! It was absolutely delicious!! The flavors were so tasty and the consistency was firm but moist. And no ketchup needed on this meatloaf - it was great just the way it was. I was so excited because it was actually an Italian recipe I found online - and I was able to translate all the ingredients and amounts for use with my American kitchen!!! I made a substitution of pancetta for prosciutto cotto affumincato (smoked ham) because I'm not a smoked meat fan, but otherwise followed the recipe. Here it is...and by the way, it freezed just fine!!

Polpettone

150 g crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
2 eggs
2 T. parmigiano
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 boiled potato, mashed when cooked
2 sausages, chopped
300 g. ground pork
150 g. pancetta
1/2 c. white wine

Saute onion in olive oil. Add the carrot, celery and mushrooms and saute for a bit. Add the pancetta and brown slightly. Add the white wine and saute for about 10 min to absorb the liquid. In the meantime, mix in a cuisinart on pulse mode, the ground pork and sausages. Put into a bowl and add the mashed potato, the eggs, the parmesan cheese, and the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Mix all together and form into a loaf. At this point, if you would like to freeze it, wrap it tightly in foil to retain the shape, and place in a ziploc bag making sure to let all the air escape. Freeze flat on a rack. If you want to cook it, bake in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hr and 15 min or until done.