extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion; finely diced
2 cloves garlic; minced
2 bay leaves
2 red bell peppers; cored, seeded, diced
2 tomatoes; halved, seeded, diced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley; chopped
12 oz ketchup
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
sea salt
black pepper
3 slices white bread
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 large eggs
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 slices bacon

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Coat a skillet with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and place over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes. Add the red peppers and cook for a couple of minutes to soften. Stir in tomatoes, parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer relish for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, you should have about 4 cups of relish.

3. Tear bread into chunks and add to bowl. Add milk to just barely cover add swish the bread around. Let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients together.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, pork, 1 1/2 cups of tomato relish, eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze excess milk from bread and add soaked bread to meat mixture and mix well.

5. To test, fry a small 'hamburger' patty of meatloaf until cooked. The patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.

6. Lightly oil a baking pan. Transfer meat mixture to center pan and form a log about 9" long and 4" wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with 1/2 cup tomato relish. Lay bacon lengthwise across the top.

7. Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meatloaf to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove meatloaf from oven and let cool before slicing.

Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side.