Some time ago I read about “pounti” or “picoücel” a special pork, prune and bacon cake from the Auvergne region of France. It uses the famous prunes of the region and is served either cold or fried in slabs.
Ever since I read about this pork cake, I dreamt of coming up with my own meatloaf inspired by those flavours, and in fact made it one of my 2012 Food Challenges to come up with a meatloaf recipe.
Ta daaaa!
The results were pleasing. The prunes and sage matched perfectly with the sweet-salty pork meat.
It’s quite a rich meal, so I recommend serving with a refreshing side, such as watercress dressed in olive oil and lemon juice.
Auvergne Pork & Prune Meatloaf (Pounti)
Anna’s very own recipe. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
5 rashers bacon, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
500g pork mince
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (see notes)
200g prunes, pitted & halved
2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped
1 egg, beaten lightly
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180’C.
2. Cook the bacon in a dry frying pan until crispy. Set aside to cool.
3. Using the fat from the bacon, sauté the onion, garlic and sage until soft. Set aside to cool.
4. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients together by hand, using your fingers to knead the mixture together into a meat dough.
5. Place in a baking loaf and bake in the oven for around 1 hour or until the meat is cooked through the juices run clear.
6. Remove from oven and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting in and eating.
Note: put one torn, fresh bread roll in a food processor and blitz until it turns into fluffy crumbs. Don’t process for too long or the heat of the machine may make the bread damp.
Hello Anna, Thank you for reproducing this great looking French meatloaf so we all can adopt it in our kitchens. I bake my favorite meatloaf in a pan of water. Do you think that method would add to your recipe?
ReplyDeletehello! how are you?
Deletethe water bath cooking method might help retain moisture in meatloaves that are based on lean meat, but this one is pretty fatty do i don't think it would be as beneficial as one using lean beef.
After last nights meal. I trust you entirely!
ReplyDeletethanks for the vote of confidence
DeleteWould this work with gluten free bread? Or some other cooked grain?
ReplyDeletecan't see why not. the bread is just there to help bind everything so gluten free bread would be fine.
Deletei love the combo of pork and prunes... it's a classic! When i was young, my mum used to make brochettes with pork, prunes and smoked speck on the BBQ... thanks for bringing back the memories :)
ReplyDeletethose brochettes sound great.
Deletei have seen some old recipes for skewers of bacon and prunes for the BBQ which sounds pretty good. sounds very similar to your mum's recipe.
Hi Anna, I am going to try this one out this week. A stupid question but can you bake this in a loaf tin rather than like the dish you used?
ReplyDeleteJo P.S. I am loving your recipe ideas!
yes a loaf tin would be fine, might cook a bit quicker though as the metal conducts the heat better
DeleteThanks Anna! Will let you know how it goes.
ReplyDeleteMeatloaf Monday, it was delicious. I cooked in a dish of water too. Lovely & moist. Jo
ReplyDelete