Pineapple Sloppy Joes

 

In case you’re unaware, today is National Sloppy Joe Day. I decided to celebrate by trying something new. Recently, I found a chili recipe that called for pineapple. I thought that sounded really interesting, so decided that I was going to make sloppy joes and add pineapple to them. They turned out better than I had anticipated. They are intensely flavorful with the perfect amount of sweetness. I added about a half-teaspoon of hot sauce to give them extra zing. Add more cider vinegar if you prefer to cut the sweetness a bit. Do give these a try. My guess is that the family is going to love them.

Pineapple Sloppy Joes

 2 lbs. ground chuck

1 medium onion, chopped

1 T. Melissa’s minced garlic

 Hawaiian BBQ Sauce

 1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple (in 100% juice), undrained

1 c. ketchup

1/4 c. molasses

2 T. packed brown sugar

2 T. low sodium soy sauce

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. cider vinegar

1 t. salt

½ t. EACH ground ginger, smoked paprika, pepper

¼ t. EACH cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano

Hot sauce to taste

 In a 12-inch skillet, over medium heat, brown ground chuck with onions, breaking up clumps. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Drain on paper towel-lined plate.

 In a small bowl, whisk together all of the barbecue sauce ingredients.

 Return drained beef to skillet and pour barbecue sauce over all. Stir well to combine, and simmer for 15 minutes.

 Serve on Hawaiian hamburger buns for additional sweetness; I preferred toasted brioche buns.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

I love sloppy joes, but I don’t love standing at the stove browning ground beef, sweating onions and celery, or stirring occasionally as it simmers. The best way, in my opinion, to make sloppy joes is in the slow cooker. No standing at the stove, no browning ground beef, no sweating onions or anything else. Just crumble the meat into the crockpot, add all of the other ingredients, give it a mighty stir, and kick back and do whatever you’d like for the next six hours. When the filling is ready, drain well, pile it high on toasted buns, and wait for the accolades.

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

Adapted from afarmgirlsdabbles.com



3 lbs. ground chuck

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

1 c. finely chopped celery

6 large cloves garlic, minced

1 14.5-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 c. chili sauce

½ c. ketchup

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

2 T. prepared mustard

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

½ T. dry mustard

1 T. chili powder

1 T. cumin

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. espresso powder

½ t. paprika

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste

Play all ingredients into a 7-8 quart slow cooker, being sure to break up the ground chuck as you do so. Stir everything together until the beef is well coated in all of those wonderful spices. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Drain before using; freezes beautifully.

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Olive Salad & Muffuletta Sandwich from Napoleon House

If the tedium of every day lunches has gotten you down, have I got an answer for you! If the Muffuletta sandwich (using the recipe from the Napoleon House in the French Quarter of New Orleans) doesn’t change your attitude about lunch, then nothing will. Their unique choices of meats are topped with an incredibly flavorful olive salad that is so good I could eat it with a spoon, and have. Because I was making a sandwich for one, I didn’t bother with the large round loaf, generally associated with muffaletta sandwiches, I just used a slice of rustic bakery bread, layered everything on, topped it with the olive salad, and slid it into the oven. That’s right, they bake their sandwich, unlike other recipes where they are served cold. They also use pastrami in lieu of the traditional mortadella. This inspired substitution as well as the warming of the the sandwich enhances all of the wonderful and diverse flavors making it the perfect sandwich to enjoy on a winter’s day.

Napoleon House Muffuletta

As seen in Louisiana Cookin’

 Yields: 2-4 servings

 1 (9-inch-round) seeded muffuletta bun or Italian seeded bread, halved

Extra-virgin olive oil

4 slices ham

5 slices Genoa salami

2 slices pastrami

3 slices provolone cheese

3 slices Swiss cheese

⅔ c. Napoleon House Olive Salad (recipe follows)

 Preheat oven to 350°F.

Brush bottom and top half of bun lightly with oil. Layer ham, salami, pastrami, and cheeses on bottom half of bun. Top with Napoleon House Olive Salad, and cover with top half of bun. Wrap in foil.

Bake until thoroughly heated, about 20 minutes. Unwrap, and cut in half or quarters.

 Napoleon House Olive Salad*

 1 c. pimiento-stuffed Spanish queen olives, chopped

½ c. canned chickpeas, drained and coarsely chopped

½ c. pickled vegetables, drained and coarsely chopped

⅓ c. canned artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

¼ c. cocktail onions, drained and coarsely chopped

¼ c. green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 T. capers, drained and chopped

½ t. Melissa's minced garlic

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 T. red wine vinegar

1 t. dried oregano

½ t. ground black pepper

 In a large bowl, combine olives, chickpeas, pickled vegetables, artichoke hearts, onions, bell pepper, capers, and garlic. Add oil, vinegar, oregano, and pepper, stirring to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

 *To make things easier on myself, I dumped all of the salad ingredients into a food processor, and pulsed a couple of times. What a time saver, and as you can see from the picture, it worked perfectly.

Yields: 3 cups

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Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

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Arctic weather has moved into the area, subzero temperatures are the order of the day, and that can only mean one thing: hot sandwiches. Summer is for salads and cold sandwiches; winter is for hot, and I do love a good hot sandwich. This Philly Cheese Steak version of a sloppy Joe is warming and wonderful.

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes

Adapted from dinnerthendessert.com

 

1 lb. ground chuck

2 T. butter

2 Melissa’s shallots, diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, minced

2 T. ketchup

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

¼ t. kosher salt

½ t. Montreal Steak Seasoning

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 T. cornstarch

1 c. beef broth

6 oz. Provolone Cheese Slices, chopped

6 brioche hamburger buns

Place a 10”-12” cast iron or heavy skillet over medium/high heat and heat until hot. Add ground chuck and sear on both sides until a deep brown crust appears before breaking the beef apart. Stir the ground beef, browning until a deep crust appears on about 50% of the beef.

 Remove the beef to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Into the same skillet add the butter, shallots, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Sear vegetables for 1-2 minutes, stir, and then continue to brown for another 1-2 minutes before stirring again. Add beef back to the pan.

Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, Steak Seasoning, and black pepper, stirring to combine. In a small cup mix the beef broth and cornstarch together; add to beef mixture. Cook until the liquid in the mixture has reduced by about 75%, 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the provolone cheese. Served on toasted brioche buns.

Matty Matheson's Italian Beef

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This Cardinal baseball fan is not a fan of Chicago because, you know, the Cubs. But, I do like their food… A lot! That’s why the Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich in Matty Matheson’s new cookbook, Home Style Cookery, really caught my eye. This was my first time making giardiniera, and it will not be my last. Talk about zing! I left the seeds in my jalapeños when I chopped and added them, and it really took my sandwich over the top. A perfect choice, I’d say, for celebrating National Sandwich Day.

Italian Beef

For the Giardiniera:
1 qt. white vinegar
1 c. granulated sugar
2 t. kosher salt
1 c. Melissa’s red pearl onions, peeled and cut in half
1⅓ c. chopped celery
1⅓ c. sliced carrots
1 c. cauliflower florets
¼ c. sliced garlic
½ c. seeded and sliced Serrano chilies
½ c. seeded and sliced jalapeño chilies
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
1⅓ c. olive oil

For the beef:
3 qts. beef stock
2 t. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 t. black peppercorns, toasted, plus freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 lbs. boneless beef roast chuck
1 lb. white onions, cut it in half

4-6 sesame seeds rolls

Make the Giardiniera: In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, 2 cups of water, sugar, and salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil.

In a non-reactive container, combine the pearl onions, celery, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, and Serrano and jalapeño chilies. Pour the boiling hot pickling liquid over the top and let sit at room temperature, covered, for 24 hours

Strain the pickled vegetables and reserve half of the pickling liquid. In a medium bowl, combine the pickled vegetables, the pickling liquid, the oregano, and basil. Add olive oil to just barely cover pickled vegetables.

Make the beef: Pour the beef stock into a large Dutch oven and add the salt and peppercorns. Add the chuck roast and onions and bring to a boil, skimming the scum that rises to the top. Turn down heat to low, cover, and braise for 3 to 4 hours, until the connective tissue and fat has broken down. Allow the roast to rest in the liquid until it cools down to room temperature. Remove the beef from the liquid and shred it in a large bowl. Strain it with a fine strainer, then add just enough liquid to the braised meat to moisten it, so it’s super juicy. Season the braised meat with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Cut the sesame seed rolls down the middle, add a big pile of braised meat, and spoon the giardiniera over the meat. Serve with a hot cup of the remaining beef broth for all your sandwich dipping needs.

 

Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese

I make no secret of the fact that I love the spinach/artichoke combination and, as a consequence, I am always looking for new ways to enjoy it. In the past I have used this combination in quiche, crescent rolls, ravioli bake, cheesy bread, and chicken. Trust me when I tell you that despite these many ways, my obsession is not about to end. The latest recipe is this one for grilled cheese. It is remarkably good! So much so that even people who may not be fond of spinach will find this quite toothsome. 

Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese

Slightly adapted from Taste and Tell

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

6 oz. baby spinach (about 4 cups)

Few gratings nutmeg

Pinch paprika

Kosher salt, to taste

3 tablespoons sour cream

1 6.34-oz. pkg. Melissa’s artichoke hearts, chopped

8 slices rustic bread

2 tablespoons softened butter

1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two to let the oil infuse with the garlic. Remove garlic, save for other use (such as using in salad dressing) and discard.

Add the spinach to the olive oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is wilted. Add nutmeg and paprika, and season to taste with salt and pepper. When the spinach has wilted down, stir in the sour cream and artichoke hearts.

Butter one side of each of the slices of bread. Place 4 slices, butter side down, on a griddle. Place 1/8 of a cup (2 T.) of the cheese on each slice. Divide the spinach mixture evenly between the 4 slices of bread, and then top with an additional 1/8 cup of cheese. Place the remaining 4 slices of bread on top, butter side out.

Grill until golden brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes. Let cool for a couple of minutes before serving.

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Prosperity Sandwiches

I am happy to say that the Meal Plan I set out for myself at the beginning of the week worked exceptionally well, so I plan to continue this. One of the things I found curious was the number of you who asked me about the Prosperity Sandwich. I suppose when you grow up with something it never occurs to you that that something may be a regional dish that no one else has heard of. So, growing up with pork steaks, toasted ravioli, and gooey butter cake, it never once occurred to me that these were all St. Louis things, as is the Prosperity Sandwich. It dates back to the 1920s with origins at the Mayfair Hotel in St. Louis. The recipe was published years ago in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and has long been enjoyed by people in the area.

I remember my mother making this a lot in the 70s. It is a wonderfully satisfying hot sandwich, perfect for serving to a group of ladies at a luncheon because everything can be made ahead. The sauce can be made the day before and reheated, the bread can be toasted ahead of time, the tomatoes sliced, the meats sorted, and bacon (my mother’s addition) can be made a day ahead and then placed on top of each serving prior to sliding it under the broiler. Rustic bread works the best, but in a pinch it can be served over sandwich bread toast points. This knife and fork sandwich is also a hearty meal, so you won’t need to serve anything else with it.

Prosperity Sandwiches

 As appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Serves 4

5 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 oz. white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
1 Melissa’s shallot, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup flour
2 cups whole milk
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon pepper
4 (3/4-inch-thick) slices rustic white bread
8 ounces thinly sliced roast turkey
8 ounces thinly sliced deli ham
2 tomatoes, cored, cut into 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices, and patted dry

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, shallot, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in now-empty saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 4 to 6 minutes. Off heat, stir in 1/2-cup cheddar, mustard, Worcestershire, and pepper; set aside.

Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Arrange bread slices on prepared baking sheet and broil until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Place bread slices into individual au gratin dishes. Divide mushroom mixture among toasted bread slices. Arrange 2 ounces turkey, 2 ounces ham, and 2 slices tomato over mushrooms on each slice of toast. Spoon 1/2-cup cheese sauce evenly over each sandwich and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar. Broil until cheddar is browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve.

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Another crowd-pleasing hot ham sandwich is this Open Faced Ham Sandwich.

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Croque-Monsieur

Directly translated, the words croque monsieur become “crispy mister.” Essentially, it’s a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. But don’t let the seeming simplicity of this bore you. It is so much more than that. This simple grilled ham and cheese sandwich is also topped with a rich and creamy béchamel, additional freshly grated cheese (in this case Gruyere), and then put under the broiler until it gets hot, brown, and beautifully bubbly. This is like no grilled cheese sandwich you have ever had. Yes, it’s a little more effort than just slapping some cheese between two pieces of bread and shoving it into your toaster oven, but the extra work is well worth the sinfully delicious taste. Make this once, and you will never be satisfied with a plain old grilled cheese sandwich again. 

Croque-Monsieur

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

1 bay leaf

4 slices firm white sandwich bread

4 ounces thinly sliced Black Forest ham

4 ounces sliced Gruyère cheese

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese

2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Add nutmeg and bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and boil until sauce thickens, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler. Place 2 bread slices on work surface. Top each with half of ham and sliced Gruyère. Top with remaining bread. Heat heavy large skillet over low heat. Brush sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Add to skillet and cook until deep golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to small baking sheet. Spoon sauce, then grated cheese over sandwiches. Broil until cheese begins to brown, about 2 minutes.

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Looking for something to feed the family? Try this Croque-Monsieur Pie!

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Wonderful Wednesday

Whimsical Wednesdays

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
 Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

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Smoky Steak Sandwiches with Peppers & Onions

Those of you who have lost that special someone know that no matter how much time passes, things are never really quite the same. You learn to live with it and move on, and I have done that in spades, but I still find things on a daily basis that give me a melancholy pause.

This morning I was going through a stack of papers and found a recipe that Mr. O-P and I enjoyed a good bit. It was one he had found in a Williams-Sonoma catalog from April 2011. I know this, because he had typed up and printed out his own version turning their grill recipe into one that can be done on top of the stove, giving credit to that catalog. He had made a variety of notations on the recipe including that we liked it so much that, one week, we had it three times. I had to laugh at this. We did tend to go a little crazy when we found a recipe that we enjoyed. And, of all the recipes that we enjoyed, those that came together in a hurry were some of our favorites.

Do your prep work early in the day, and this comes together in a flash. I sliced the peppers and onions early on (including a green pepper that I grew myself!), as well as the steak that I did so while it was still partially frozen. (So much easier than waiting until it has completely thawed.)

I put this on a bun to show you that it really is a sandwich, but Mr. O-P and I used to make servings in individual au gratin dishes, and have that as our evening meal. Sinking my teeth into the first flavorful bite, I can see why we enjoyed it. I hadn’t had this in about six years, and it brought back a lot of memories.

Smoky Steak Sandwiches with Peppers & Onions
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

1 red onion, cut into ¼” strips

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¼” strips

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¼” strips

4 Tbs. olive oil

1 t. Hickory Smoked Sea Salt,* divided

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 ½ lb. New York strip sirloin, thinly sliced

4 French sandwich rolls (or not)

6 oz. provolone cheese, grated

Place a 10-inch skillet over medium high heat on the stove top. While this is heating, in a medium bowl, stir together onion, peppers, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon smoked sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Transfer vegetables to heated skillet, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened (about 8 to 10 minutes). When cooked, transfer to a heatproof bowl and keep warm.

Return skillet to medium high heat. While it is warming, in another bowl, stir together steak strips with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon smoked sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Place beef strips in skillet over medium high heat. Cover and cook beef, tossing occasionally, until browned (4-5 minutes).

When beef is cooked, return vegetables to skillet. Stir to combine and warm through; meanwhile, set oven to broil. When the vegetable/steak mixture has been combined and warmed, divide equally in four ovenproof serving dishes (We used these.), or into four sandwich buns placed into foil “boats.” Sprinkle a generous amount of Provolone cheese on top of each. Broil until cheese melts; watch to prevent cheese from burning. Serve immediately

Makes four servings.

*This is NOT an optional ingredient. You can find it at Williams-Sonoma. It isn’t cheap, but it lasts a long time, and is well worth it. Wait for a 20% off sale.

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Another one of Jim’s favorite beef dishes is this recipe for what I now call Jim’s Steak Diane, in his honor.

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
 Funtastic Friday
Pink Saturday
Snickerdoodle Create Bake & Create

Best of the Weekend

Grace at Home

Friday at the Fire Station
Create, Bake, Grow and Gather

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