Meatloaf

This might seem like a strange summer recipe, but it's a great match for the onions and shallots which are being harvested at the minute.

Recipe is for 2 meatloaves, you can halve it, but it's as much work to make 2 as one and if your beef is fresh, you can freeze one for later use - or just have it in the fridge for sandwiches.

1.5 kg minced beef (I use my brother's organic beef)
2 onions, finely choppd
2 shallots finely chopped
100 g porrige oats
10g salt
Freshly ground black pepper
100g tomato puree
2 cream crackers, crumbled up
2 large free range eggs
Optional: one of the following
1 clove garlic, rosemary, basil, parsley.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Beat the eggs. Mix everything in a big bowl. Use your hands to mix and squish it together.

Put into 2 loaf tins, and bake at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes. Stick a knife int the middle to make sure there are no bloody bits. Eat hot or cold. Good with almost anything!

Note: If you don't have shallots, it's no big deal. If you are adding salt, pepper, herbs to taste, mix it on, and then put a teaspoonful into a pan, and cook it for a minute or so - then you can taste to see if you have enough seasoning.

This recipe also works well for meatballs, which I bake on a cookie sheet in the oven.