Good morning,

the first light of a new day is slowly rising on the beginning of a November week. Everything is soft, calm outside of the window, leaves timidly tremble and gently swish on the tree making glowing a myriad of little stars all around, everything is the promise of new things to do that will bring us in the usual working activities. Looking around, some balconies are already decorated with Christmas lights, indeed also visiting some shops you can feel that warm cosy Christmassy atmosphere. So, why not starting  with familiar culinary tastes and flavours of this time of the year? How about those traditional meals, prepared with heart and simplicity that once and still make together different ages in a family tree?

Let’s prepare one of the most popular, cheap meals that children and growns up cheerfully welcome during Christmas celebrations: today we’re going to make a ‘polpettone’ (meatloaf) according to my family recipes notebook. First of all, it is neccessary to say that if you have little time to prepare it, perhaps it is better to make more than one and smaller ‘polpettoni’, since it is easier and faster to cook them. The ingredients are: minced beef and pork (500g should be ok for four meatloaves), 1 or 2 eggs, a sprinkle of salt, marjoram, thyme, chili pepper powder, fresh parsley, bread crumbs, grated parmigiano, and little red wine (I have used half glass of a full-bodied, ruby fruity Primitivo from my land, Apulia). Next step is to mx all together, make a meatball and stuff in the middle some thin slices of ‘Mortadella Bologna IGP’ and small cubes of spicy ‘Provola Auricchio’. Work the meat loaves with your hands and fry them in extra virgin olive oil for few minutes until they will have a golden brown surface. Place gently the meatloaves in a sauce pan, where you have already prepared a smooth bell peppers cream (red onion, extravirgin olive oil, bell peppers, small cherry tomatoes, red wine, salt and pepper, vegetable bouillon. Cook it for about 15 min and then use the minipimer to make a cream) and keep on cooking the meatloaves until they will be well done, avoiding the melted cheese to come all out (let’s say about ten minutes more). Serve very warm with the bell peppers cream, good farmer’s bread and a glass of intense red wine. Wish everybody bon appétit and have a good week!