Very Sloppy Joes...

Sloppy Joes... a mystery to some, a home-made remedy for the blues to others. This is the ultimate comfort-food burger. It really does not get any easier than this, you basically need a pan that can hold a nice quantity of sauce, a trusty wooden spoon and a huge craving for tomatoes. I consume tomatoes almost daily, (as I do tea actually) so I really do not have any issues with this recipe. It is quite moreish, but filling and it is an American Classic if I understand correctly. There are many different ways this dish is made, not unlike every family having their own Bolognese recipe, and this recipe is basically foolproof, so no stressing before starting!

WHAT DO YOU NEED? (for 6 burgers or more)

• a green bell pepper (paprika), finely chopped
• a couple of garlic cloves, minced (amount of cloves to taste)
• an onion, finely chopped
• 800g of minced beef
• 400ml of passata
• 3 tsp tomato puree
• a good squirt of tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• some Worcestershire (pronounced "woostersher" by the way ;) ) sauce to taste
• olive oil
• some jalapeno peppers (optional), finely chopped ( I use the marinated ones you can find in glass bowls)
• some tabasco sauce (optional)
• burger buns
• melty cheese (optional)
• salt & pepper
• cornflour (eg Maïzena)

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?

• Heat some olive oil on a medium heat and once the oil is hot add the onion, jalapeno and bell pepper. When these veg have gotten softer, add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes while stirring with your trusty wooden spoon. Crank up the heat to medium-high and add the beef which should now be cooked until browned (about 10 minutes). Don't forget to add the salt and pepper at this point.

• Get the heat back to medium and add the passata, puree, ketchup, tabasco (if using), sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Leave it to simmer for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how hungry you are, while stirring often and the sauce should thicken. If it does not thicken, add a spoonful of cornflour. I tend to do this anyway. Done.
• Serve on toasted burger buns with melty cheese if you feel like having the cheese-variant of this burger. Do add some salad if you need to make it seem like no guilt should be involved when devouring this delicious dish. 

Most importantly, enjoy!

Other ways in which you can use the sloppy joe mixture are: as a pizza topping or even on a small toast as an appetizer!

Note the salad on the left!