Ulitimate Meat Loaf With Tomato Relish

Meatloaf and mashed potatoes are comfort food. And I figured my daughter needed some of Mom's good old home cooking. So I prepared this today while I was at her house for the bathroom renovation.

She has enough to deal with her very stressful job and also being a wife and a mother. I sure remember what that was like, not enough hours in a day and not enough energy even if there was. In addition she has the huge mess and expense this new bathroom is creating. And if that were not enough, her thirteen-year-old cat has hyperthyroidism and needed a radiation treatment. The cat is now sequestered in the basement for two weeks until she quits glowing in the dark.

This meatloaf is worthy enough to serve to company. And the Tomato Relish was absolutely delish. I served it along side of Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes with Roasted Garlic. Pap is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and this had him swooning in his chair.

Ingredients for Tomato Relish:
1 onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and finely diced
2 tomatoes, halved, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients for Meatloaf:
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3 eggs
Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
3 slices white bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces
1/2 cup milk
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 35o degrees.

2. Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften.

3. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 10 minutes to pull all the flavors together.

4. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.

5. In a large mixing bowl soak the bread pieces in the whole milk. Set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with the ground pork and mix well.

6. Squeeze out the milk from the bread and add the bread to mixing bowl. Add the eggs, 1 cup of the tomato relish, and thyme; season with salt and pepper.

7. Mix well with hands.

8. Take a small baking tray and line with parchment paper. Form the meat into a loaf shape on the tray and top with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. (I used a large loaf pan)

9. Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours until the juices run clear and meat is tender. Remove from oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side.