Meatloaf

1. Prepare the breadcrumbs by cutting old bread into croutons and baking into the oven until crispy.  Allow to cool completely in a dry place (if the bread still feels most, pop it back into the oven to bake until dry) and pound into very fine breadcrumbs with either a food processor, a mortal & pestle, or in a bag with a rolling pin. You will need about 300 - 325 grams (8 - 10 ounces) depending on the fat content of your ground beef (other meats)

2. Combine bread crumbs with the following:

5 g  - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
5g - 1/2 tsp cayenne or other chili powder
5 g - 1/2 tsp thyme (roll it between the fingers to "activate" the flowers)
1/2 onion minced fine
3 cloves of garlic smashed, green bits taken out, and minced fine
1/2 red and 1/2 green pepper diced
15 g - 1 1/2 tsps of sea salt

 3. Add the 575 g - 18 ounces of ground beef, and mix in the breadcrumb, spices, and vegetables as much as possible so that the beef is completely broken up and covered in the breadcrumb/spice/veg mixture.

4. Add the egg and a dash of Worcestershire sauce and mix completely.  The mix should naturally come together. If the meat doesn't come together, add more breadcrumbs. Don't worry about it being "dry" because the fat from the beef will come out in the cooking and you have the added moisture from the vegetables.

5. Pack meat into a loaf pan and bake until toothpick in the center comes out clean on 180 C for around 45 minutes.

6. Drain off the fat and use for sauce by mixing the cooled fat + 20 g flour + 10 g butter + 20 ml of water.  You can add brandy or another liqueur to deglaze the fat, and mix with mushrooms sauteed in butter until slightly crispy and bits of crispy fried bacon (Calvados, Poire Williams, or white wine do nicely for this.)

 You can also alternatively slightly fry the bacon and wrap the entire meatloaf in bacon.