The Savory Witch’s Hat is a simple stuffed meatloaf in a crust, shaped like a hat, to celebrate January 6th in the most delicious way possible. It’s very easy to prepare, and you can decorate it as you like. I used a cheddar cheese slice colored black with some slightly moistened vegetable charcoal, red with food coloring, but you can choose whatever you prefer, the Witch will appreciate it anyway. Around the belt, I placed some juniper berries, just for a slightly rockin’ Witch!

Instead of green beans, you can also use another vegetable, for example, boiled spinach and then sautéed in a pan with butter, onion, and Parmesan.

If you enjoy this decidedly rich and flavorful main course, here are some other meatloaf recipes:

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Preparation time: 45 Minutes
Portions: 12 people
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Winter

Ingredients

12.3 oz green beans, frozen, cooked, boiled
2 pinches fine salt
1 clove garlic
to taste olive oil
egg
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese
15.9 oz mixed minced meat (beef and pork)
8.8 oz sausage
1.4 oz bread (3-4 days old)
3 tbsps milk
1.8 oz grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
4 pinches fine salt
2 pinches black pepper (ground)
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 egg yolk (to brush the surface of the hat)
2 puff pastry (round 8.1 oz each)
to taste cheese slices (cheddar)
1 vegetable charcoal (tablet)
to taste red food coloring (gel)
to taste juniper berries (optional, for decorating the buckle)

Steps

Season the previously thawed green beans in a pan with a clove of garlic, a little olive oil, and a little fine salt.
Place them in a bowl or on a plate, finely chop them with a knife or mash them with a fork, add the egg, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs. Mix well; you should get a moist but slightly compact mixture. Let them cool.
Put the minced meat in a bowl, add the sausage with the skin removed, bread soaked in milk, eggs, Parmesan, salt, and pepper
Mix well, I prefer to do it with my hands, trying to crumble the bread if there are any large pieces left.
If the mixture is a bit too moist, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
Mix the ingredients until you get a soft but slightly compact mixture.
Take the first puff pastry, place half of the meat mixture in a triangle shape, as shown below.
Use a spoon to remove the meat from the center of the triangle without reaching the puff pastry.
Fill the empty space with half of the green bean mixture, trying to level it well.
Now cover the green bean mixture with the meat you previously removed.
Close the first flap of puff pastry, making it reach slightly under the meat filling, you should compact the filling to make the hat fluffier.
Do the same with the other flap, close it well, tucking it under the hat, so it doesn’t open during baking. Slightly stretch the puff pastry and also seal the base. Cut the excess part, as shown in the picture, it will be used to make the hat band.
With parchment paper, form a rectangle measuring 7.9×11 inches. Inside it, place the remaining meat filling, spread it evenly with a rolling pin. Then divide it in half as shown in the photo.
Place the second puff pastry on the work surface, position one half of the rolled out meat mixture, then the remaining green bean filling.
Cover with the other part of the thinned meat filling.
Try to spread the meat filling well on the surface, close the green bean mixture inside the meat mixture.
Close the puff pastry, to seal it better, fold about half a centimeter of the edge inward and then press it with the prongs of a fork.
It’s time to assemble the hat: place the triangle on top of the semicircle, cover the joint with the piece of puff pastry you previously removed from the dome, prick it to prevent it from puffing up during baking. Brush it with the yolk of an egg; it will become more golden after baking.
Slightly curve the top part of the hat and bake at 356°F for about 40 minutes. If you notice it’s browning too much on the surface halfway through, cover it with aluminum foil.
Once baked, let it cool and decorate it. I used cheddar cheese slices, but you can also use Emmental if you prefer. Remove the central part as in the photo and color it black by wetting a vegetable charcoal tablet with a little water. Use a food brush. I decorated the buckle with juniper berries, but this step is optional.
Now with red gel food coloring, color pieces of cheese and cut them to form the belt.
And Happy Epiphany!
Ah, this is the inside of the top part of the hat.