The Assimilated Immigrant's Embutido (Filipino meatloaf)
When we were growing up, at some point during the holidays my parents would have people over and my Mom would exclaim excitedly "Look, Tita* _________ brought embutido!"
And there would be the slicing of the round, compact loaf to reveal the colorful eggs and pimento-stuffed olives inside. Now, as a kid, I found this horrible and could not understand why the adults were beside themselves with glee with a meatloaf containing things you had to pick out. However, my tastes changed through adulthood, I started to feel nostalgic about Filipino foods, and my husband Tim, who had encountered this treat on some of our family visits, decided to give it a try.
(*for Muggles: "Tita" could be the sister of one of your parents - or cousin - or any female friend of the family that may or may not be related to you in some way)
The meat mixture itself is really not much different from north american meatloaf - ground meat (traditionally pork) seasoned with the usual savories like onion and garlic and binders like breadcrumbs. There are lots of variations, most of which give the loaf a slightly sweetish taste - so relish, chopped bread and butter pickles, ketchup, red peppers, and so on.
But wait! it's not your usual meatloaf, because now you add hard boiled eggs. It is possible to place the meat in a regular loaf pan and use whole eggs, but we wanted to form them into rolls, so to make it easier we sliced the eggs lengthwise and laid them atop the meat mixture. It is also possible to chop the eggs up, and just layer them, but I prefer this for no better reason than aesthetic purposes.
Tim REALLY likes olives so we put plenty of those alongside. This is about a pound and a half of meat mixture shaped into an 18 inch by 6-7 inch rectangle - so about 3 halved eggs and as many olives as it takes to fit alongside them.
Use the foil to help with an almost sushi-roll like action to fold the sides of the meat mixture over top of the eggs and olives, and shape with hands into a roll. You can see some of the egg and part of an olive trying to peek out! It's not a disaster if you leave it like this, but it's also not that hard to poke it back in and cover it up.
Once that's done, wrap it securely in foil and place on a baking sheet, and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60-70 minutes.
I've never eaten embutido at anything other than room temperature till now, but we were very impatient that day! That said, I suggest letting it set after coming out of the oven for a good 20 minutes or more so that it has a chance to firm up, and doesn't crumble when you slice it.
Also, I have not previously encountered embutido before other than at potlucks and family gatherings so I don't actually know what you're supposed to serve it with (other than the 20 other dishes that people brought). But steamed white rice is pretty much a given for any Filipino dish, and while perhaps non-traditional, I can promise it is very tasty accompanied by sauteed green beans.
The Assimilated Immigrant's Embutido
3 pounds ground meat - pork is traditional. The one pictured is beef and turkey.
1 cup breadcrumbs or panko
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 sweet red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 c chopped bread and butter pickles OR 1/3 c relish
1/2 c chopped pimento stuffed green olives OR 12-20 whole
6 hard boiled eggs, sliced in half lengthwise OR chopped
4 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 c ketchup or chili sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Combine all ingredients except eggs or olives. Divide into 2 portions.
On a sheet of aluminum foil, spread each portion out, flatten, and shape into a 18- 20 inch by 6-7 inch rectangle. Lay 3 of the halved eggs along center of each rectangle. Place olives in a row alongside. Alternatively, if both are chopped, just spread eggs and olives in a row along center of rectangle.
Use the edges of foil to help bring sides of rectangle towards the center and shape into round, long loaf, sealing the eggs and olives inside.
Wrap well in foil, and place both logs onto a rimmed baking tray to catch any leakage. Bake at 350 F for 60-70 minutes. Remove and let cool for 15-20 minutes before unwrapping and slicing. Can also be chilled and sliced the next day.
And there would be the slicing of the round, compact loaf to reveal the colorful eggs and pimento-stuffed olives inside. Now, as a kid, I found this horrible and could not understand why the adults were beside themselves with glee with a meatloaf containing things you had to pick out. However, my tastes changed through adulthood, I started to feel nostalgic about Filipino foods, and my husband Tim, who had encountered this treat on some of our family visits, decided to give it a try.
(*for Muggles: "Tita" could be the sister of one of your parents - or cousin - or any female friend of the family that may or may not be related to you in some way)
The meat mixture itself is really not much different from north american meatloaf - ground meat (traditionally pork) seasoned with the usual savories like onion and garlic and binders like breadcrumbs. There are lots of variations, most of which give the loaf a slightly sweetish taste - so relish, chopped bread and butter pickles, ketchup, red peppers, and so on.
But wait! it's not your usual meatloaf, because now you add hard boiled eggs. It is possible to place the meat in a regular loaf pan and use whole eggs, but we wanted to form them into rolls, so to make it easier we sliced the eggs lengthwise and laid them atop the meat mixture. It is also possible to chop the eggs up, and just layer them, but I prefer this for no better reason than aesthetic purposes.
Tim REALLY likes olives so we put plenty of those alongside. This is about a pound and a half of meat mixture shaped into an 18 inch by 6-7 inch rectangle - so about 3 halved eggs and as many olives as it takes to fit alongside them.
Use the foil to help with an almost sushi-roll like action to fold the sides of the meat mixture over top of the eggs and olives, and shape with hands into a roll. You can see some of the egg and part of an olive trying to peek out! It's not a disaster if you leave it like this, but it's also not that hard to poke it back in and cover it up.
Once that's done, wrap it securely in foil and place on a baking sheet, and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60-70 minutes.
I've never eaten embutido at anything other than room temperature till now, but we were very impatient that day! That said, I suggest letting it set after coming out of the oven for a good 20 minutes or more so that it has a chance to firm up, and doesn't crumble when you slice it.
Also, I have not previously encountered embutido before other than at potlucks and family gatherings so I don't actually know what you're supposed to serve it with (other than the 20 other dishes that people brought). But steamed white rice is pretty much a given for any Filipino dish, and while perhaps non-traditional, I can promise it is very tasty accompanied by sauteed green beans.
The Assimilated Immigrant's Embutido
3 pounds ground meat - pork is traditional. The one pictured is beef and turkey.
1 cup breadcrumbs or panko
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 sweet red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 c chopped bread and butter pickles OR 1/3 c relish
1/2 c chopped pimento stuffed green olives OR 12-20 whole
6 hard boiled eggs, sliced in half lengthwise OR chopped
4 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/4 c ketchup or chili sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Combine all ingredients except eggs or olives. Divide into 2 portions.
On a sheet of aluminum foil, spread each portion out, flatten, and shape into a 18- 20 inch by 6-7 inch rectangle. Lay 3 of the halved eggs along center of each rectangle. Place olives in a row alongside. Alternatively, if both are chopped, just spread eggs and olives in a row along center of rectangle.
Use the edges of foil to help bring sides of rectangle towards the center and shape into round, long loaf, sealing the eggs and olives inside.
Wrap well in foil, and place both logs onto a rimmed baking tray to catch any leakage. Bake at 350 F for 60-70 minutes. Remove and let cool for 15-20 minutes before unwrapping and slicing. Can also be chilled and sliced the next day.
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