Wayne's Weekend: Italian Meatloaf For Turkey Day

Make a turkey, mortadella and ricotta meatloaf wrapped in prosciutto

If you're looking for an alternative to preparing a whole turkey for Thanksgiving, this recipe just might be the answer.  This turkey meatloaf, Italian style, is flavored with ground turkey, mortadella, mushrooms and fresh herbs and wrapped in prosciutto.  It's easy to prepare, makes a beautiful presentation, and can be made a few days ahead.  In fact, it also freezes well so you can make it as far in advance as you like.  The basic recipe was given to me by my friends Giovanni Lugli and Ivo Carlesso.  I've tweaked it just a bit and added instructions for making a tasty gravy from the pan drippings. 

Turkey Meatloaf with Mortadella and Portobello Mushrooms
Idea from Ivo Carlesso and Giovanni Lugli

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Turkey
1/2 lb Ground Mortadella
8 oz Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cu Onions, minced
1/2 cu Baby Portobello Mushrooms, minced
2 cloves Garlic, smashed and minced
1 tsp Fresh Sage, minced
1 tsp Fresh Thyme, minced
2 tsp Fresh Parsley, roughly chopped
1 lg Egg, slightly beaten
3 oz Prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, stripped from the stem

Gravy

2 tsp Baby Portobello Mushrooms, very finely minced
2 tsp Onion, very finely minced
1 tbl All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cu Low Sodium Chicken Stock
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

In a large bowl, combine turkey, mortadella, ricotta, onions, mushrooms, garlic, sage, thyme, parsley, and egg.  Mix thoroughly and transfer to a 9"x12" baking dish.  Shape into a loaf roughly 9" long and about 4 1/2" wide.  Starting at one end of the loaf, layer the prosciutto on top, slightly overlapping the slices.  Tuck the ends under the loaf.  Sprinkle the rosemary on top of the prosciutto.

Place the loaf in the oven and bake for about 60-75 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F in the thickest part.  Remove from the oven and transfer the meatloaf to a serving platter or cutting board.  Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.

Transfer about 1/3 cup of the juices and drippings that remain in the baking dish to a small saucepan.  Add onions and mushrooms and sauté over medium low heat for 5-7 minutes or until onions and mushrooms are tender.  Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine.  Continue stirring for about 3 minutes.  Very slowly, whisk in about 1/2 cup of chicken stock.  Continue whisking until mixture is smooth.  Add remaining stock and pepper and bring mixture to a boil.  Boil for about 10 minutes until mixture is significantly reduced and the resulting gravy is of your desired consistency.  At this point you can either strain the gravy to make it smooth or use it as is with the tiny bits of mushrooms and onion.

Thanks to my friends Giovanni and Ivo for the idea.  It's a great dish.  If you have any comments or questions, please send me an email at wayne@waynesweekend.com or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

 

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