Meatloaf is a typical Christmas dish that is commonly eaten at Christmas, usually in the form of small cakes or pastries. Find out how to make them with this recipe.
Believe it or not, meatloaf is probably one of the most typical Christmas cakes, being extremely common during these popular dates. It is consumed in many countries, and stands out for becoming a traditional option that is commonly served these days in sweet shops and bakeries, and that many people also tend to prepare at home.
As its name suggests, it consists of a kind of small cake which is filled with sweet ground meat, whose filling usually tends to be accompanied by cinnamon and cloves, which help to provide the particular flavor and characteristic aroma that this type of cakes come off when you bite into them. In addition, it stands out for its sweet and aromatic flavor, and not at all strong.
During these Christmas holidays it is common to consume it as a dessert or even as a snack during the morning or afternoon, accompanied by a cup of hot coffee or tea. However, because it is a hearty and highly nutritious dish, some people prefer it as a main dish.
Your advantage? In addition to being delicious and not leaving anyone indifferent, it can be consumed both hot and cold, although in my case I prefer it cold as it helps to better highlight its flavor and texture. Do you dare to prepare it with us? Although it is somewhat laborious, the result is unmistakable.
Christmas Meatloaf Recipe
You will notice that the recipe for meat pies is somewhat complicated and laborious, but the result will undoubtedly be impeccable. It will take you about 1 hour to prepare them, and about 30 minutes to cook them.
Ingredients for the dough:
- 1kg of flour
- 150 g of lard
- 750 grams of margarine
- 1/2 liter of water
- a pinch of salt
Ingredients for the stuffing:
- 2 kg of pork
- 200 g of ground bread
- 1 head of garlic
- 400 grams of sugar
- 1/4 kg of ground and baked almonds
- 4 ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 2 sprigs of parsley
- The zest of 1 lemon
- Powdered sugar
How to make the Christmas meat pies:
- First of all we are going to start by making the puff pastry that will make up the cake itself. To do this, place the flour on the table and form a volcano, where right in the center you will place the lard, the water and a pinch of salt. Knead everything until you get a paste as compact as possible. Then let it sit for about 20 minutes. After this time, make a cross with the help of a knife, and roll it out to form a four-pointed star. Put the margarine right in the middle, close the four corners and with the help of the rolling pin stretch it little by little, but be careful not to press. Let stand another 20 minutes. Fold the dough and continue stretching, until you give it six turns (this way you will get the puff pastry sheets). Finally stretch them a little until they are about 3 millimeters thick. Lists.
- Now we are going to start making the filling. To do this, cut the pork into pieces. Put the cut meat to cook in a large saucepan or cauldron, together with the whole head of garlic and the sprigs of parsley.
- When the meat is done, remove it from the cauldron and grind it well together with the bread, the almonds, the sugar, the cloves, the lemon zest and the cinnamon. Now put this filling dough on the fire until it boils (it is important that you move it continuously so that it does not stick).
- Now it is time to prepare the cakes. You will need small pans for each cake. To do this, put the puff pastry sheets inside the molds, well adhered so that they acquire the shape of the cake that we want. Fill the inside of the sheets with the proportion of meat you prefer, and cover with the help of another sheet of puff pastry.
- Place the cakes one by one on a baking tray, which you should have covered with baking paper. Put it in the oven and cook at medium temperature, until you see that the puff pastry sheets have acquired a golden hue.
- When they acquire this color, remove the cakes from the oven and let them rest a bit.
- To finish, when the cakes are cold, sprinkle plenty of icing sugar on top.
- Ready! You can now enjoy them.
