Monday, December 5, 2011

Retro Night: Sloppy Joe's


The 1970s: Love American Style, bell bottoms, and Sloppy Joe's for dinner. Ah, the days of yore. Sigh!

This recipe is adapted from a new cookbook I love by John Besh. These Joe's are definitely on the sweet side of the sweet & sour spectrum. So, if you want to tip the balance a bit, you could give them a blast of sriracha heat or swap the ketchup for tomato sauce. The only must here, is that the hamburger buns are toasted. Life is full of compromises, but toasted rolls for Sloppy Joes is not one of them. Always toast!

ps. I think this meal calls for some contrasting crunch to balance the soft Joe-ness. A salad of greens, sliced apple, and shaved parmesan seems just right.

Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup pepper jelly
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 cup chicken broth
pinch of salt & plenty of freshly ground pepper

Brown the ground beef slowly in a large saucepan. Once the meat loses its pinkness, drain the fat, and tip the meat on to a paper towel-lined plate while you make the sauce.

Wipe out your pan and add the canola oil. Turn heat to medium and add onion. Give onion time to brown. Once onion has reached a nice light brown color, add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Then, add all your remaining ingredients, stirring constantly to allow them to combine and heat through.

Add ground beef to the sauce and cook at low simmer for 10 -15 minutes. If mixture seems too dry, add a bit more chicken broth. If too liquid, just heat until you reach the consistency you prefer. Enjoy!

Serves about 10

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