SLOVENIA: Egg-Stuffed Meatloaf (Štefani Pečenka) and Rapunzel Salad

This is one of those dishes whose ease is belied by its presentation. Both the salad and the meatloaf look like they take more effort than they do! While the recipe below is Slovenian, I am thinking one could stuff just about any meatloaf recipe they like with hardboiled eggs for a fun presentation.

Egg-Stuffed Meatloaf (Štefani Pečenka)

1 small white bread roll, such as a seedless Kaiser roll or hamburger bun, ideally stale

½ cup whole milk

2 tbsp olive oil

½ small yellow cooking onion - diced

2 stalks celery

2 teaspoons ground paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon coriander

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1½ lbs meatloaf mix (beef, veal, and pork) or ¾ lb ground beef + ¾ lb of either pork or veal

5 hardboiled eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Crumble the roll in a small bowl. Pour the milk over top and let it soak in.

2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Dice the onion and celery and add to the skillet. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the paprika, oregano, thyme, and coriander. Stir well and sauté 1 more minute, until spices are fragrant. Remove from heat.

3. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large bowl. Add in the milk soaked bread, leaving any extra milk in the small bowl. Add in 1 whole egg plus the 1 yolk, the mustard and the Worcestershire sauce. Stir everything together until you have a thin paste. Add in the meat and mix thoroughly but gently with your hands to combine fully.

4. On a large sheet of foil, spread the meat mixture to form a large rectangle, roughly the same size as a sheet of letter paper (8.5x11"). Lay the 5 hardboiled eggs end-to-end down the middle of the rectangle, parallel with the longer sides. Use the foil to roll the meat mixture around the eggs, pressing to form a fat log shape fully concealing the eggs.

5. Put a wire cooling rack on top of a half sheet pan or other large pan with sides. Place a sheet of parchment paper, just slightly larger than the meatloaf, on the rack. Unroll the foil, to expose one (long) side of the meatloaf, and place that exposed side on the parchment paper. Put the pan, with the foil still covering the exposed sides of the meatloaf, in the oven on the middle rack and roast for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and continue to roast for another 25 minutes.

6. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Rapunzel Salad

2 medium beets

¼ medium head cauliflower

4 tablespoons olive oil

a 5 oz container of mâche or baby butter lettuce

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 hardboiled eggs

salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap beets in aluminum foil. Place in oven. Roast for 1 hour.

2. When there is about 20 minutes left, break cauliflower into large florets. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread onto a baking sheet. Roast until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Set beets and cauliflower aide to cool completely.

4. Remove beets from foil and cut into large cubes. Cut cauliflower into bite-size pieces.

5. In a large salad bowl toss lettuce, beets, cauliflower, remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, vinegar, and a few sprinkles of salt and pepper together. Chop up eggs into bite-size pieces and toss lightly with salad.

#breakfastfordinner #beans #eggs #sudan

FUN FACTS:

• Slovenia is the only country whose name contains the word "love".

• The world's oldest fruit-bearing grapevine is in Maribor, Slovenia. It is more 400 years old.

• Slovenia has more than 500 castles.