Sloppy Joes

From Jenn Segal at Once Upon a Chef

Sloppies :-)

Ingredients

  • 1¼ pounds 90% lean ground beef
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buns
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¾ teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 (14-oz) can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • ½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco or Frank's, or to taste
  • Hamburger buns

What to do with them...

  1. In a medium bowl, using your hands, mash the beef with the baking soda. Let it sit on the counter for 20 to 25 minutes to tenderize.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position.
  3. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until bubbling. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds or so - not too long.
  4. Add the beef, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and dry mustard and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until mostly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, butter the inside of the buns and place on a baking sheet, butter side up. Toast in the oven until warmed through and lightly crispy, about 5 minutes.
  6. Taste the sloppy Joe mixture and adjust the seasonings. (If you like your Sloppy Joes sweet, feel free to add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar.) Spoon the mixture onto the toasted hamburger buns and serve.

My Original SJ Recipe from Rachel Ray

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 Lb hamburger
  • 1/2 whole Large Onion, Diced
  • 1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
  • 2 or 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 2 Tbs vinegar - any kind will do, balsamic lends deep flavor but it's in the background
  • 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 Tbs brown sugar
  • 1 Tbs chili powder
  • 1 Tsp dry mustard
  • 1/2 Tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
  • Worcestershire sauce, to taste
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste (optional)
  • Tabasco Sauce (optional; to taste)
  • salt to taste
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • Kaiser rolls
  • butter for toasting rolls

What to do with them...

  1. Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.
  2. Add onions, and bell pepper and cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft, then add the garlic and stir it around for about 30 seconds or so.
  3. Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
  4. Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls.

Pepper and Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 pounds small potatoes, baby Yukon gold or red skinned are perfect
  • 2 ounces sliced pepperoncini peppers
  • handful of shredded basil leaves
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 4 scallions, chopped
  • 3 or 4 artichoke hearts
  • 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

What to do with them...

Dice the potatoes into large pieces and place them in a pot of water. Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes until tender. Drain and return to hot pot to dry them out. Add pepperoncini, bell peppers, and scallions to potatoes. Dress with a splash of pepperoncini juice and rice wine vinegar. Toss to combine, then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil to coat the salad evenly and season with salt and pepper.