I made the following meatloaf for dinner last night. It was really good and everyone loved it. The original recipe was featured in The Times over the weekend, and this is my low carb version. For anyone who might not want to use veal, ground turkey would make a good substitute.


Veal and pork meatloaf with a tomato and herb sauce

Serves 6

Olive oil
500g (1lb) ground pork
500g (1lb) ground veal
100g (4oz) mushrooms, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
150g (5oz) parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Handful of sage leaves, finely chopped
1 dried red chili, or 1 tsp chili powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Lightly oil a 23 x 13cm (900g) loaf tin.
Put the minced meat into a large bowl and add the mushrooms, garlic, parmesan and sage. Crumble in the dried chili (or chili powder) and season generously. Mix together really well, until the ingredients are well combined. Spoon the meat mixture into the loaf tin, pressing it down firmly with your hands. Cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, and then lower the heat to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and bake for a further 15 minutes. Leave to stand for a few minutes before turning out onto a warm serving platter. Cut the meatloaf into 2-3cm thick slices and serve with the tomato and herb sauce (see below) spooned over.

For the sauce:

12 ripe plum tomatoes
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
3 rosemary sprigs, leaves only, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1½ tsp red-wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6
Pierce each tomato with a sharp knife, as this helps them release their juice during cooking, then place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool. Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and rosemary with a good pinch of salt to a paste. Add the mustard and wine vinegar and stir to combine. Tip in the tomatoes and crush roughly, then add the olive oil and chopped parsley, stir well to combine, and season with salt and pepper.