Meatzza Breadcrumbs and Pan

Our answer

Nigella's Meatzza (from Nigellissima and on the Nigella website) base includes some dried breadcrumbs as they help to absorb and retain some of the moisture from the meat. We would not recommend any particular brand of breadcrumbs but they do need to be plain, unseasoned breadcrumbs and not the type with added herbs. Panko breadcrumbs tend to be slightly larger than regular breadcrumbs so it is probably better to avoid using these. You could also use porridge oats (the quick-cooking type and not the instant type) instead of breadcrumbs.

Nigella has a tart Tatin tin that she uses for the Meatzza and for several other dishes, such as her Toad In The Hole. It is useful for these types of dishes as the metal heats up very quickly in the oven. Nigella's tin is made in France from copper, which wears very well though is slightly expensive. However there are several other metal tarte Tatin tins available and these can be found in many cooking equipment stores and on-line. You need to look for a tin that is 24-28cm/10-11 inches in diameter and about 5cm/2 inches deep.