The recipe for tuna meatloaf Bolognese may seem strange. After all, Bologna is not a seaside city.
To understand the origin of this recipe, we have to go back to when Bologna had canals and a port (where the Porto district is today) that was navigable and accessible from the sea.
By ship from Bologna, one could reach Venice via Ferrara.
On the same day, Bologna received fresh fish from the Adriatic sea and fish and other goods from much further afield.
That explains the origin of this and another typical Bologna dish, spaghetti alla Bolognese with tuna sauce (a base of friggione to which you add tuna shredded with a fork). Both are recipes you can taste only at some local’s house or make yourself.
Tuna meatloaf: the recipe
Tuna meatloaf is a typical home dish hardly found in the city’s restaurants. The recipe is related to lean days, but unlike spaghetti, it enjoys good luck, especially in summer.
It is served cold and is an excellent one-pot meal.
The last time I had it was last summer, and it was excellently prepared by my friend Fabrizia. It was so good that I still remember it. It stood out in the center of the table, surrounded by a squiggle of mayonnaise, capers, and olives. We were on one of the most beautiful private terraces in town. It was sunset time, and among us few friends, the meatloaf was devoured as if we had been a hundred burly, hungry men.
This recollection reminded me that the blog had a gap to fill.
Some people mix chopped tuna with breadcrumbs, others use bread soaked in milk, and some prefer coarsely chopped bread. I use boiled potatoes, which leave the meatloaf soft and moist.
Green beans, boiled potatoes, and tomato salad are the best sides for this dish. It pairs perfectly with the Insalata Russa (Russian salad), which you can find here on the blog.
Buona cucina, Monica
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Tuna meatloaf alla Bolognese
Ingredients
- 300 g of boiled potatoes
- 30 g of capers
- 400 g of natural tuna, or in olive oil
- 2 eggs, about 100 g
- 50 g of grated
- 50 g of fine bread crumbs
- 1 g of salt
- olive oil to taste If you use tuna in olive oil, use that oil. It will enough
- capers and mayonnaise to decorate
Instructions
- Peel and mash the potatoes and set aside.
- Rinse capers under running water and dry with kitchen paper. Set aside.
- Put the tuna in a bowl with the capers and shelled eggs. Reduce to a cream with an immersion blender or in a blender.
- Add the tuna to the potatoes. Also, combine Parmigiano, bread crumbs, salt, and a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Knead with your hands until the mixture is smooth and firm—not too soft or hard. If it seems too firm, add a few tablespoons of milk and knead again; however, if it looks too soft, add mashed potatoes or breadcrumbs.
- Using a sheet of baking paper, help shape the mixture into a meatloaf, wrap it in the paper, and then seal the package in aluminum foil.
Cooking in the saucepan
- Place the tuna meatloaf in a large saucepan, cover it with water, bring it to a boil, cover the pan with a lid, and lower the flame. Cook over medium heat on a medium stove for one hour. Then turn off the stove, remove the lid, and let the meatloaf cool in the water. When you can handle it without burning yourself, lift the meatloaf out of the water gently, remove the wrappers, and let it cool completely before slicing.
Baking in the oven
- Place the package with the meatloaf in a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake in a bain-marie in a preheated oven at 170C (338F) degrees for about 40 minutes. When it is 10 to 15 minutes from the end of cooking, remove the aluminum foil cover. Remove from the oven and let cool before moving or cutting into slices.
- Arrange the slices in a serving dish, decorate the center with a clump of mayonnaise and a caper. Serve at room temperature or cold from the refrigerator.
Food Tips
- Prepare the meatloaf the day before; it will taste better.
- If you don't have a large pan to hold, make two smaller tuna meatloaf.
- Store sliced tuna meatloaf in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month (thaw at room temperature and eat without reheating).