Clean and finely slice the mushrooms. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat, add olive oil and a crushed garlic clove (pressed using a knife).
Add the mushrooms and cover the pan with a lid. Add 3g of black pepper and salt and cook for 20-25 minutes.
Peel and roughly chop the sweet potatoes, steam for approximately 15 minutes or until soft. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher.
Cook the Stripzees as indicated on the package.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the Stripzees in a large mixer and pulse coarsely. Set aside. Add the nuts to the mixer and blend until a uniform mixture is obtained.
Add the sweet potatoes, mushrooms, 3g of salt, 6g of pepper, pomegranate seeds, drained red kidney beans, drained lentils, liquid smoke, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, orange juice, and blend. Be careful not to turn it into a puree!
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, add breadcrumbs, and mix with your hands until you get a compact dough.
Form a meatloaf-shape and place it in a rectangular baking pan lined with parchment paper. Place the orange slices on another tray with parchment paper, making sure there is enough space between them. Bake both for 45 minutes.
Finely chop the sage and cherry tomatoes. Add a drizzle of oil to a pan and, once hot, sauté them for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, mix mustard and BBQ sauce. When the ‘Polpettone’ is ready, remove it from the oven. Brush it with BBQ sauce (make sure to use it all, otherwise, the ‘Polpettone’ may be dry) and add the sautéed cherry tomatoes on top. Put it back in the oven for an additional 15 minutes to allow the sauce to be absorbed.
Take out the ‘Polpettone’ and orange slices, let them cool for 15 minutes; then place some fresh sage leaves and the orange slices on top of the ‘Polpettone’. Transfer it to a cutting board, slice, and serve to all your guests!
