Moroccan Meatloaf
Course: main Skill level: easy Serves: 4
800 g (1 lb 12 oz) Hereford Beef mince 50 g (1¾ oz) breadcrumbs
1 onion, chopped finely 2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp dried fennel, chopped finely
1 lemon, zest only
1 tbs honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 100 g (3½ oz) pitted green olives
75 g (2¾ oz) dried apricots, chopped
75 g (2¾ oz) pistachios, chopped
Olive oil
To Serve: couscous or tabbouleh; hummus; salad.
1 Pre-heat oven to 180 deg. C., 350 deg. F., Gas Mark 4.
2 Tip the Hereford Beef mince into a large bowl and break it up with a fork. Add the breadcrumbs, onion, eggs, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, chilli flakes, fennel, the lemon zest and the honey, with a teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything well.
3 Set aside a few of the olives, chopped apricots and pistachios, and mix the rest with the mince.
4 Oil a 900 g (2 lb) loaf tin, then press in the mince mixture, rounding the top gently. Slice the olives and press these into the top with the leftover apricots and pistachios to decorate.
5 Drizzle the top of the meatloaf with a little olive oil. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes on the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven until piping hot in the middle – test with a skewer.
6 Leave to settle for 15 minutes, then lift out the meatloaf and garnish with any extra nuts.
7 Slice thickly then serve with couscous or tabbouleh, your favourite hummus and salad.