SFist Does the Super Bowl: Mini Sloppy Joes
The big game is on Sunday, which for us non-sports fans means hovering over the snack table in between space-out sessions in front of the TV. (Except this contributor is a bit more invested this year since it involves our home town team, the Colts.) In order to make that snack table as appealing as possible, we'll be posting recipes for some classic comfort foods for the rest of the week.
Below is a yummy Sloppy Joe recipe from one of our favorite food bloggers, Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes.
Although this recipe makes normal-sized Sloppy Joes, we suggest making bite-sized mini sandwiches for this occasion and maybe adding some spicy cheese, if desired. This recipe would also be tasty with vegan ground beef, since it's all about the texture and the sauce. And if the ingredients list looks a bit daunting, it's probably safe to cut out the celery and some of the spices, as well as the red wine vinegar. Enjoy!
The trick to this recipe is to brown the meat well, on high heat. Don't crowd the pan, work in batches, and don't stir the meat until it is well browned on one side. It helps to use a large cast iron pan, or an anodized aluminum pan, as these pans can handle the heat and are relatively stick-free.
Ingredients
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1/2 cup minced carrots (can sub chopped bell pepper)
* 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* Salt
* 1 1/4 lb ground beef
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 2 cups tomato sauce (or 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, puréed)
* 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
* 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
* 2 Tbsp brown sugar
* Pinch ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* Pinch cayenne pepper
* 2 turns of freshly ground black pepper
* 4 hamburger buns
Method
1. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. (If you are using bell pepper instead of carrots, add those at the same time as the onions.) Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent, about 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from heat. Remove vegetables from the pan to a medium sized bowl, set aside.
2. Using the same pan (or you can cook the meat at the same time as the vegetables in a separate pan to save time), generously salt the bottom of the pan (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon). Heat the pan on high. Crumble the ground beef into the pan. You will likely need to do this in two batches, otherwise you will crowd the pan and the beef won't easily brown. Do not stir the ground beef, just let it cook until it is well browned on one side. Then flip the pieces over and brown the second side. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ground beef from the pan (can add to the set-aside vegetables), salt the pan again and repeat with the rest of the ground beef.
If you are using extra lean beef, you will likely not have any excess fat in the pan. If you are using 16% or higher, you may have excess fat. Strain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
3. Return the cooked ground beef and vegetables to the pan. Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and brown sugar to the pan. Stir to mix well. Add ground cloves, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Lower the heat to medium low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve with toasted hamburger buns. Serves 4. (Editor's Note: If you do bite-sized burgers, you could likely stretch it out to 12-16 servings. Just cut the buns into thirds or fourths. Dinner rolls would work, too.)