On the radio show Friday we had another no-show, which happens when a chef gets swamped. This worked out beautifully, because had the chef called it would have broken up a great rhythm established early on by one of our favorite callers, Alan, the New Orleans ex-pat in Seattle.
Alan called as he usually does to talk about something we talked about last week, because he can only listen to podcasts. He brought up the subject of school cafeteria food, and that spawned a lot of calls.
And the whole conversation prompted me to do something I have been thinking about a bit lately. Sloppy Joes. I’ve never been a fan of Sloppy Joes. Old-fashioned food from the Sixties, and a school cafeteria staple, makes it highly undesirable. But maybe it’s the lockdown, boredom, nostalgia, or just madness that made me want to try it.
The Shank Charcuterie Memorial Day Kit was forgotten by our pick-up driver, so we had no plans for the day. I went to get grass fed beef from Whole Foods. And ciabatta rolls - these would be a 2020 version of this comfort food.
I checked a few websites and found that Sloppy Joes are made exactly like I thought they are. This was great when I tasted it, and bore absolutely no resemblance to the meat pile with the dissolving bun of my youth.
Sloppy Joes
1 ½ lbs grass fed beef
4 cloves garlic
½ yellow bell pepper
½ green bell pepper
½ small purple onion
1 stalk celery
⅓ cup chopped parsley
1 generous handful grape tomatoes
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry yellow mustard
⅓ cup ketchup
1 smoked jalapeno (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat cast iron skillet on high, Chop all the vegetables coarsely and stir in the pan. When the vegetables have caramelized, add a little water to the pan to deglaze.
Put in the meat and cook this until well done. Drain the mixture on paper towels to reduce the grease. Return to the pan and add the Worcestershire, ketchup and mustard, salt and pepper.
Toast some rolls or buns and pile the meat on. That’ s why it’s called Sloppy Joes!
