When I was kid, every Wednesday night during the summer
there would be outdoor concerts on the baseball field in our town. On those Wednesday nights my parents would
pack coolers of coldcuts and juice, bags of potato chips, and homemade chocolate
chip cookies. We would camp out on
blanket in the field, listening to Doo-Wop cover bands sing old Supreme
songs. We would eat sandwiches for
dinner and then my siblings and I would run around until it got dark and we
needed a cookie fix. Ever since then
sandwiches remind me of casual summer evenings spent eating under the stars.
While I have yet to find a Doo-Wop cover band to listen to
outside since then, I still make it my goal to eat sandwiches for dinner at
least once a week. During the dog days
of summer they are so easy to make and they fill my need to feel like a little
kid despite the fact that I am now 27.
Some sandwiches are fancy affairs with homemade foccacia bread, roasted
vegetables and goat’s milk cheeses and other times they are simple and scream
summer like a BLT does (oh how I love those).
Sometimes I desire a messy sandwich where I end up wearing half of it
and leave sticky fingerprints all over napkins.
That’s where these Tex-Mex sloppy joe’s come into play. They are a gloriously messy affair of spicy
(extra spicy for me!) and sweet (from the tomatoes and ketchup) beef with some
peppers and onions thrown in for textural contrast. They taste even more amazing with slices of avocado
and shredded Monteray Jack (then they taste like a torta!). I enjoy them
most when eaten outside, listening to my Pandora Motown station and drinking a
beer.
Tex-Mex Sloppy Joe’s
Recipe from The Homesick Texan
Serves 6-8
1 1/2 pounds
ground beef
1 chipotle chile en adobo (add 2 if you like it hot!)
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 ounces canned tomato sauce
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of cayenne
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces beer, such as Mexican lager
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
4-6 warm buns for serving
1 chipotle chile en adobo (add 2 if you like it hot!)
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 ounces canned tomato sauce
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch of cayenne
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces beer, such as Mexican lager
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
4-6 warm buns for serving
Sliced Avocado, Monterey
Jack, and jalepenos for serving
Meanwhile, in a blender mix the tomato sauce, chipotle chile, oregano, ground cumin, smoked paprika, allspice, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce. Pour tomato salsa into the skillet along with the beer, ketchup and half of the cilantro. Stir until well combined.
Cook on medium-low heat uncovered for 15 minutes and then stir in the remaining cilantro and lime juice. Adjust seasonings and add salt and black pepper to taste.
Serve on warm buns with avocado, jalapeño slices and
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