Sekanice (Easter Meatloaf)

This is a recipe my Bohemian grandmother used to make for Easter every year. I was fortunate enough to have learned how to make it before she passed away and my family says I nailed her recipe on the head. The key: lots of garlic and chives and onions! Sorry the quantity is so large, but I have no idea how to scale it down much more. My grandma said 'back in the day' there were a lot of Bohemians in the neighborhood and they would use crates of eggs and make the mixture in the bathtub!

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 5 hr
• Total Time: 5 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 389 Calories

Ingredients

• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 (1 1/2) pound loaf of white bread, crusts removed and bread torn into pieces
• 2 pounds pork shoulder roast
• 2 pounds veal shoulder roast
• 2 beef neck bones
• 2 large carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 3 pieces
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 48 eggs
• 12 cloves garlic, pressed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Place the torn bread pieces into a bowl and let them dry out overnight.

Step 3

Wrap the pork shoulder and veal shoulder meat in cheesecloth if you can, and place in a large stock pot. Add the neck bones, celery, carrots and yellow onion. Fill the pot with enough water to cover everything and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat until the meat is falling apart, 2 to 3 hours.

Step 4

Remove the meat from the pot and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the vegetables and neck bones from the broth, reserving the broth and discarding the solids.

Step 5

Crack the eggs into the bowl with the bread pieces. Shred the meat into small pieces and add to the bowl. Mix in the garlic, green onions and chives. Gradually ladle in the broth while mixing until you have something you can form into a loaf. You will need to use your hands to mix thoroughly. Grease a large roasting pan or two or more smaller baking dishes. Pat the mixture into the prepared pans.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean, about 40 minutes. It may take as long as an hour, depending on what size pan you are using.