Christmas Pastel de Carne, or Christmas meatloaf, is one of those recipes that have been adapted over time, depending on the difference in regions or tastes.
Adding hard-boiled eggs in the center gives it a great presentation and adds that special touch to this recipe. If hard-boiled eggs are not your favorite, you can fill the meatloaf with spinach, ham, cheese, or grilled asparagus.
The glaze can be as simple as salt and pepper ketchup or your favorite tomato-based sauce.
And if you think this meatloaf is good hot, wait until you try it cold and thinly sliced into a sandwich!
Ingredients
- For the Meatloaf:
- 6 large eggs
- 6 strips thick cut bacon diced
- 1 small white or red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/3 cup poblano pepper diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and minced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and finely diced
- 1 stalk Celery finely diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 6 queen size green olives with pimento sliced thin
- 2 pounds ground beef 80/20
- salt and pepper
- Mexican oregano
- 2 tablespoons Maggi sauce or Worcestershire (Maggi sauce is like a browning sauce that adds great flavor to any dish)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup milk
- For the Sauce:
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Maggi sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Bring 4 eggs to a boil for 10 minutes, reserving the other 2 eggs. After 10 minutes, remove pot from heat and let cool in the pot with water.
- In a large skillet, cook the diced bacon until crisp.
- Remove from pan and drain onto a plate lined with paper towels; set aside. In that same skillet with bacon drippings, heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, poblano pepper, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, carrots and celery. Season lightly with salt and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, set aside. Crack and peel the 4 hard-boiled eggs and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the beef. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon crushed oregano and 2 tablespoons of Maggi or Worcestershire sauce. Add in the cooled vegetables, bacon, olives and cilantro. Gently fold in until combined. Mix in the reserved 2 eggs, breadcrumbs and milk until well incorporated.
- Take half of the mixture and form a loaf in the bottom of lined pan. Make a well going down the center and add the hard-boiled eggs down the center. Take the remaining beef and cover the eggs and form the meatloaf, pressing down gently. Cover tightly with foil paper and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes. Mix all the ingredients for the glaze and cover the top of the meatloaf. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes or until internal temperature reads 160ºF. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with your favorite rice and vegetables.
Chef Notes
If you are not that sure if you added enough seasoning to your meatloaf, break off a small piece and cook it until done. Adjust season to taste.
Tips~ For a variation, you could add some roasted asparagus spears and cheese on either side of the cooked eggs. After the meatloaf bakes for an hour, I used a baster to remove most of the excess grease the was released during cooking. Take the baster once again and remove the excess before transferring the meatloaf to a serving platter.
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