Mexican Meatloaf

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 medium carrot, diced or thickly grated
1 stalk celery, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound ground beef
6 ounces soft Mexican chorizo, removed from casing and crumbled
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft--about 8 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

In large bowl combine the sauteed vegetables, ground beef, chorizo and jalapenos.

In a medium bowl, combine salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin and eggs. Mix well with a fork and pour it on top of the mixed meats. Add bread crumbs and mix with clean hands. 

Put the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch loaf pan and insert meat thermometer. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until the interior temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and carefully pour off any accumulated pan juices.

Makes 10 servings