Is it pizza or is it meatloaf?

Here's a new recipe I tried about a week ago that makes a great weeknight supper. It's meat pie. I first saw this recipe featured on the Today Show and had to try it. I will admit, however, I did not include the pancetta, simply because I could not find it at the store, but I think I will try to track this ingredient down next time...that's right, I may actually make this one again (if you know anything about my cooking, you know it's hard for me to make the same thing twice). Anyways, other than the name (meat pie? Seriously, this needs a more appetizing name...no pun intended), this dish is de-lish! And, I don't have any children who feed off more than breastmilk, but I bet it would be a winner even for those little picky eaters in your family. Give it a try, and remember to leave a comment and tell me what you think or how you adapted it. Good luck!

Pizza di carne (meat pie, "pizza" style)
"Every Night Italian" by Giuliano Hazan

Serves 6 to 8 people Preparation time: 15 minutes Total time from start to finish: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 slices white bread
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 ounces pancetta, thinly sliced
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Butter (for greasing the baking dish)
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
• 3/4 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes drained of their juice, coarsely chopped
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°.

2. Cut the crust away from the slices of bread and discard it. Put the bread and the milk in a small bowl and mash it with your hands until you get a smooth pasty mixture. Transfer it to a large mixing bowl and add the beef, the grated pecorino, the bread crumbs and the eggs.

3. Chop the sliced pancetta and add it to the bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then mix everything together thoroughly with your hands.

4. Grease the bottom and sides of a round pie dish approximately 10 inches in diameter. Put in the ground beef mixture and push it down with your hands until it is evenly spread out. Cover with the tomatoes. Cut the mozzarella into strips and arrange them over the tomatoes (I like creating the spokes of a wheel with them.) Sprinkle the dried oregano on top and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Let the "pizza" settle for about 5 minutes after you take it out of the oven, then transfer it with two spatulas to a serving plate. Serve it hot or lukewarm.

What did I serve it with? A simple salad with tomatoes and Basil Green Goddess Dressing from the kitchen of Barefoot Contessa.