Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Sloppy Joes

I came up with this sloppy joe recipe more than 15 years ago and still swear by it. The recipe is not complicated, but the ground meat (I like to use turkey) is well seasoned and I think the addition of a bit of finely diced carrot, bell pepper and celery give it an edge. And why not embellish the bun? My fav toppings are shredded iceberg lettuce, dill pickle and/or pickled jalapeño slices, and thinly sliced red onion.



Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 lbs. ground beef or turkey
1 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 small carrot, finely diced

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
1 tbsp. red wine or cider vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. dried mustard
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Hamburger buns (my fav are sweet Hawaiian, brioche or white sesame)

OPTIONAL GARNISHES:
Shredded lettuce
Sliced red onion
Dill pickles
Pickled or fresh jalapeño slices
Shredded cheese

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Saute for a couple minutes then add the meat. Saute until the meat is partially cooked through, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper. 

2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and the meat has absorbed most of the liquid.

3. Serve on hamburger buns (you can toast them beforehand if desired) and any of the optional garnishes. Any leftover sloppy Joe mixture can be frozen in freezer bags up to 3 months. 


Chopped onion, garlic, green bell pepper, celery and carrot.

Seasonings.

Heat olive oil and saute the carrot, onion, garlic, and celery.

Add the ground meat and saute until partially cooked through.

Add the remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Toppings: sliced red onion, dill pickles, pickled jalapeños, shredded iceberg lettuce. You can even add some shredded cheese, if that's your thing.

Place the "toppings" on the bottom part of the bun.


Top with a generous helping of the sloppy joe mix and, voila!

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