Sloppy Joes

Not your recipe if you like things to be neat and clean.

As with the name, 'sloppy' this dish is just all that. It is almost like a burger just that they are not shaped into a burger patty. With the 'free flowing' sauce, you really need both hands to eat this. Forget the cutleries. Tuck a bib under your chin and grab the bun with both your hands - chomp, slurp away. This is one food that once you start you need to press ahead full steam and finish it otherwise everything may just end up on the plate itself! *be warned but its all good fun*

This is another classic recipe by elsie

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 can red kidney beans
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
pinch ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper
4 hamburger buns

Method:

1. Heat olive oil and saute carrots for 5 min. Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 more minutes.

2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 more seconds and set aside.

3. Using the same pan, 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.

4. Return the cooked ground beef and vegetables including the red kidney beans 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.

5. Lower the heat to medium low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.

6. Serve with toasted hamburger buns.

With the leftover joes, here are some variations using wholemeal pita bread:

a thin crust sloppy joe!

pita sloppy joe with mango salsa! This was just so refreshing and sweet - yummy indeed.