Recipe: Meat Loaf with Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce (Rollo me Haminados)

MEAT LOAF WITH SWEET AND SOUR TOMATO SAUCE
(ROLLO ME HAMINADOS)



Nicholas Stavroulakis attributes this recipe to the towns of Arta and Previza in Greece. Similar meat loaf recipes are found in Italian and Persian Jewish kitchens, however. Here as elsewhere, the word hamin suggests a Sabbath dish, baked in the hamin or oven and served at room temperature. This meat loaf is especially succulent served hot, however, with a sweet-and-sour tomato sauce.

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
3 or 4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 tablespoons honey, divided use
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE MEAT LOAF:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup matzoh meal or dried bread crumbs
2 onions, grated or minced
2 large, ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Onion Skin Eggs (recipe follows), peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil

TO MAKE THE TOMATO SAUCE:
Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the honey and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are reduced to a puree, 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the wine, the remaining 1 tablespoon each oil and honey, and the cinnamon and simmer for a few more minutes to blend the flavors. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.

TO MAKE THE MEAT LOAF:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a baking pan large enough to hold the meat loaf.

In a bowl, combine the beef, eggs, matzoh meal or breadcrumbs, onions, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands. Form half the meat into a long, flattened roll. Top with the eggs, arranging them in a line down the center. Cover with the remaining meat. Seal the seams well and pat into a roll. Place in the prepared baking pan. Rub the roll with the olive oil.

Bake the meat loaf, basting from time to time with the sauce, until it is cooked through, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven, transfer the meat loaf to a platter, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Just before serving, gently reheat the remaining sauce and transfer to a bowl. Slice the meat loaf and serve. Pass the sauce at the table.

ONION SKIN EGGS (HUEVOS HAMINADOS)

"An integral part of Sephardic cuisine, huevos haminados are often served at the Sabbath meal and for Passover. Cooks save brown onion skins during the week and then gently simmer the eggs under them, adding coffee grounds or tea leaves to give the eggs a rich color. Occasionally a dash of wine vinegar is added to the cooking water along with the olive oil. The word hamin means "oven," as the eggs were traditionally cooked in a baker's oven, although today they are more easily prepared on top of the stove. During the long cooking process, the eggs pick up a slight onion perfume and a creamy texture. Italian Jews from Trieste call the same eggs Turkish eggs, while Greek Jews call them Selanlik yamurta (Salonika eggs) or Yahudi yamurta (Jewish eggs)."

8 eggs
3 to 4 cups brown or red onion skins
3/4 cup tea leaves, or 1 1/2 cups coffee grounds
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Put the eggs in a large saucepan. Cover them with the onion skins and the tea leaves or coffee grounds, then add the olive oil, vinegar, and water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan tightly, and simmer gently for 6 hours. Check the water level from time to time and add more water as needed to maintain the original level.

When the eggs are ready, plunge them into a bowl of cold water placed under a tap of running cold water.

Makes 4-6 servings
Source: Sephardic Flavors by Joyce Goldstein and Beatriz Da Costa