A Meatloaf in Every Oven – Frank Bruni & Jennifer Steinhauer

March 2, 2017 by
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A Meatloaf in Every Oven: Two Chatty Cooks, One Iconic Dish and Dozens of Recipes – from Mom’s to Mario Batali’s by Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer delivers fun and sustenance in the form of warm, comforting meatloaf recipes. Who doesn’t like their meatloaf glazed with witty banter?

Marilyn Pollack Naron’s illustrations adorn this fun title that will have you gathering ingredients to make Bobby Flay’s Korean-Style Meatloaf with Spicy Glaze or Alex Guarnashelli’s Mom’s Meatloaf in no time. Frank and Jennifer have an event coming up on the 9th of March to talk about their new book – check to see if they are in your area.


Special thanks to Grand Central Life & Style for sharing Mario Batali’s Stuffed Meatloaf recipe with us. I have made several versions of Mario’s stuffed meatloaf and they are always wonderful. A full excerpt from this title can be found at the publisher’s website. Illustration shared by Marilyn Pollack Naron. Be sure to head over to our contest page to enter our giveaway.

Mario Batali’s Stuffed Meatloaf
 Serves 6 generously

Mario Batali needs no introduction, and his recipe for meatloaf is exactly what you might expect - richly flavored, intensely meaty, Italian-leaning and requiring a bit of skill and patience.

This is in some sense a classic rolled loaf, with meat encasing meat, swimming in juices emanating from meat. Unlike many meatloaves, which are inherently budget-friendly, this one uses high-quality ingredients that greatly increase its expense. You want to buy good cheese, a caciocavallo if possible, and you want really nice prosciutto. The rolling of the meat is exciting and fun; just be sure you make it good and tight so it does not spread too much as it cooks. The pan juices make for a lovely, if slightly odd-colored, gravy. Embrace the difference!

This is a very rich loaf, and you will want a nice big salad or vegetable side to go with it. Then, a nap.

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into narrow strips about 12 inches long
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese (about 3 ounces)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
2 cups frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry and chopped
6 thin slices proscuitto (about 4 ounches)
1/4 pound sliced caciocavallo or provolone cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 cup dry red wine

1 - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2 - Fill a medium-sized saucepan with salted water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the carrots and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the carrots to a plate.

3 - In a large bowl, combine the beef with the pork, 1 cup of the bread crumbs, the pecorino, the eggs, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; mix well with your clean hands.

4 - Line a work surface with a 15-inch-long sheet of plastic wrap. In a bowl, mix the flour with the remaining ó cup bread crumbs. Sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the plastic wrap. Transfer the meatloaf mixture to the crumb-lined plastic wrap, and press it into a 12-by-10-inch rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Lay the spinach over the meat, making sure it is evenly distributed, leaving a 1-inch border on the short sides.

5 - Arrange the carrots over the spinach, and top with the prosciutto and sliced cheese. Starting from the long end of the plastic wrap closest to you, tightly roll up the meatloaf, tucking in the filling and using the plastic wrap to guide you; then discard the plastic wrap. Drizzle the meat loaf with the olive oil.

6 - Put the rosemary sprigs in the bottom of a broiler pan and pour in the red wine. Cover with the broiler pan grate. Set the meatloaf on top of the grate. Bake for 35 minutes. Then turn the pan around and pour 1/2 cup of water through the grate. Continue baking for about 20 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf registers 165 degrees F. Remove the pan and let the loaf rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

7 - Discard any cheese from the bottom of the pan and strain the pan juices into a small saucepan. Boil the pan juices over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Pour into a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper.

8 - Using a serrated knife, slice the loaf into 1-inch-thick slices and serve, passing the pan juices at the table.

Category: Book News, Recipes

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18 Comments

  • gjelizabeth  on  March 2, 2017

    I love meatloaf and find its seemingly infinite variations fascinating.

  • Kristjudy  on  March 2, 2017

    My favourite meatloaf is made with ground chicken and a spicy tomato jalepano sauce

  • Teruska  on  March 2, 2017

    Not a real fan of meatloaf (my mama cooked it until it was practically dehydrated) but this one sounds good!

  • AnnaZed  on  March 2, 2017

    I want to make Clean out the fridge meatloaf (page 50)
    from A Meatloaf in Every Oven: Two Chatty Cooks, One Iconic Dish and Dozens of Recipes – from Mom's to Mario Batali's by Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer

  • madamepince  on  March 2, 2017

    I would eat this at a restaurant — gladly! — but it's more work than I really want to do for dinner.

  • katenolan  on  March 2, 2017

    First up has to be the Spicy Merguez meatloaf! I like cookbooks that have a combo of writing and recipes, especially if the writing informs the techniques and theories in the recipes.

  • lebarron2001  on  March 3, 2017

    I don't have a favorite meatloaf recipe hence I need this book !

  • jezpurr  on  March 3, 2017

    There are so many recipes its hard to pic a fave!!!^_^ I love spicy, cheesey, barbeque, and mushroom ones!!!^_^

  • t.t  on  March 3, 2017

    It sounds good–but where does one find caciocavallo in the US?

  • dbielick  on  March 4, 2017

    I use an old Betty Crocker recipe but add quite a few things to it.

  • PennyG  on  March 5, 2017

    My current favorite meatloaf is an Italian version with sundried tomatoes, basil & mozzarella cheese!

  • fiarose  on  March 17, 2017

    my mom makes a chicken meatloaf, greek spiced with feta, a lot like the recipe in this book sounds, actually! don't have the recipe, but i definitely need it.

  • LauraAbenes  on  March 17, 2017

    Flour is not listed as an ingredient, yet in Step #4 you are instructed to mix flour with the remaining breadcrumbs. I am sure this is a beautiful dish, it would be nice to see a picture.

  • hellmanmd  on  March 18, 2017

    It seems as though there are a few foods present in nearly every culture: dumplings, bread, and apparently also meatloaf.

  • Siegal  on  March 22, 2017

    Nothing beats my grandmas recipe

  • edyenicole  on  March 25, 2017

    I like basic meatloaf.

  • lgroom  on  April 7, 2017

    I love Frank Bruni — one of my favorite food writers or even really, writers in general. This sounds like such a great book.

  • allthatsleftarethecrumbs  on  April 8, 2017

    This sounds like another great cookbook, and I have always enjoyed Frank Bruni's writing. My favorite meatloaf is one I have developed over the years with an amazing homemade BBQ sauce on the top. There is never any leftovers. 🙂

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