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1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F, and oil a large casserole, say a 3-quart rectangular one.
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2
Combine the onion with 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
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3
Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring once in a while, until the onion is turning gold at the edges, about 8 minutes.
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4
Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two, until fragrant.
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5
Scrape into a large mixing bowl.
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6
Set the pan aside.
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7
Meanwhile, process the mushrooms in batches in a food processor until minced very fine.
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8
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and turn the heat to medium high.
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9
When the oil is shimmering, add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
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10
Cook, stirring and scraping, until the mushrooms brown.
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11
They will throw off a lot of liquid as they begin to cook; dont fret.
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12
When the mushrooms are browned and sticking to the skillet, stir in the tomato paste.
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13
Cook for a minute or two, until the tomato paste turns brick red.
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14
Pour in the wine and turn off the heat.
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15
Stir and scrape the pan to release any bits of mushroom, and scrape into the bowl with the onions.
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16
Put the tomatoes in the food processor and whir them around until they are chopped pretty fine.
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17
Add about 1 1/2 cups of the tomatoes to the mixing bowl, along with the Pecorino, breadcrumbs, eggs, parsley, basil, and thyme.
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18
Season well with salt and pepper.
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19
Crumble in the sausage and get your hands in.
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20
Mix very well, breaking up the sausage as small as you can.
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21
Crumble the ground round over the meat loaf base and toss it in gently with your handsas if you were tossing a salad.
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22
Dont go overboard though; if you overwork the beef, you end up with a tough meat loaf.
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23
Of course, if you dont mix it well enough, the slices will break.
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24
So just be gentle and thorough.
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25
Keep breaking the clumps of beef up with your fingers and tossing, but dont squish the meat with your hands.
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26
Put the bay leaves in the casserole and form the meat loaf on top of them.
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27
Season the rest of the tomatoes with salt and pepper and pour over the top.
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28
Slide the meat loaf into the oven and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.
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29
Take out your handy instant-read thermometer; you want an internal temperature of 155 degrees F.
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30
Let the meat loaf rest for about 20 minutes before transferring it to a big platter.
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31
Tilt the pan and spoon off any fat from the juices.
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32
Pour the juices over the meat loaf, and serve.
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33
When you come across the bay leaves, leave them on the platter.
