Preheat the oven to 325F/160C

If the mozzarella is packed in whey, roll the cheese in paper towels or a clean, non-linting dish towel to expel any lingering moisture. Slice cheese into 5-6 evenly sized pieces. If using Bocconcini-type mozzarella-that is, small balls of fresh cheese–halve 5-6 balls. Set aside.

Pour milk into a smallish bowl. Tear bread into pieces and add to milk. Allow to soak.

Rinse capers in a small strainer. Tip into a clean dish towel–your used mozzarella cheese towel is fine-or paper towel. Gently pat capers dry. Roughly chop and place in large mixing bowl.

Peel and mince garlic. Add to caper bowl.

If you are a confident egg cracker, crack directly into the large bowl. If you are like me–lacking confidence–crack eggs in a separate bowl–no need to blend–and add to garlic and capers.

Returning to the bowl of milky bread: pour any leftover milk into the big bowl, leaving the soggy bread behind. You want uneven bits and pieces of bread, so tear the milky bread up a bit more if necessary. Soften resistant pieces of bread under running water. Squeeze dry. Now add to the big bowl.

Add Canadian bacon, Parmesan cheese, parsley, if using, and ground pork to bowl. Add a very little salt–the capers, Parmesan, and Canadian bacon are very salty. Be generous with the pepper.

Mix meatloaf ingredients with a large spoon or your very clean hands.

Pack half the meatloaf mixture into a 9inch/22 cm loaf pan (or comparably sized roasting pan). Now add the mozzarella, placing the cheese slices in a line down the middle of the meatloaf. Pack the remaining meatloaf mixture on top. I added a few basil leaves for decorative purposes, but I have a madly growing basil plant in my yard. This is optional.

Bake the meatloaf for about an hour. It’s done when an instant-read thermometer shows temperatures of 160F/70C. No thermometer? Meatloaf will look and smell done. Cut into it if you aren’t sure. My only case of food poisoning was self-inflicted and came from eating undercooked meatloaf. I was a young and inexperienced cook. Don’t be me.

Serve Italian Meatloaf II as Sophie Grigson does, with roast potatoes, or do as Americans do: plonked down on the table with catsup and (frozen! gasp!) french fries. A salad never goes amiss.

Meatloaf, Italian or otherwise, keeps in the refrigerator up to five days, or may frozen up to three months.

Notes:

Meatloaf is often prepared using a mixture of meats, including ground beef, veal, or pork.

The mozzarella may be replaced by another cheese; Grigson suggests scamorza or smoked mozzarella.

The raw meatloaf mixture will seem hopelessly damp. Don’t fret; it will firm up.