Posted on 05/25/2016 4:18:08 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
Last week I got to thinking about Sloppy Joe sandwiches, which I hadn't had in ages but loved when I was a kid. We decided to try making it from scratch, and settled on Chef John's recipe. It came out really good - I think I might add some jalapeno next time - but it doesn't really taste like the Sloppy Joe made from the canned sauce. I'm not sure what to do to it, to make it more like the childhood favorite (except buy a can of sauce ;-) and I'm wondering if anyone else has made it. Here's is Chef John's recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/219635/chef-johns-sloppy-joes/
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I happened to be browsing archive.org for old cookbooks, and found Rufus Estes' cookbook 'Good Things to Eat, as Suggested by Rufus'. Estes, born a slave, was one of the first famous African American chefs, and the first to write and publish a cookbook. The recipes are sometimes kind of sketchy, as they are in all of these old cookbooks, but the instructions are adequate to figure out the dish. Cherry Season is coming on, and I was intrigued by his recipe for pickled cherries:
"CHERRY PICKLES
Stem, but do not pit, large ripe cherries. Put into a jar and cover with a sirup made from two cups of sugar, two cups of vinegar and a rounding teaspoon each of ground cloves and cinnamon cooked together five minutes.
Let stand two days, pour off the vinegar, reheat and pour over the cherries, then seal."
I searched for more modern recipes and was surprised that most are pretty much exactly as Rufus made them; but here is a recipe that pits the cherries, and adds lemon and star anise:
http://janesadventuresindinner.com/2014/09/celebratingtheharvest-pickled-cherries.html
You can read or download the Rufus Estes book at Archive.org (lots of great antique cookbooks there):
https://archive.org/details/goodthingstoeata00esterich
or purchase a newer edition hard copy at Amazon or Dover Publications:
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Things-Eat-Suggested-Rufus/dp/0965433315
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486437647.html
-JT
I have not had a sloppy Joe in forever! I loved them when I was young. Makes me want to make some. I always loved the sweet, salty blend in the sauce. I’m hungry!
I think we just used regular mustard. This recipe isn’t as ‘acid-y’ as the canned stuff, you may like it.
-JT
I have only seen it in the NE but would not be surprised if it grows in the south.
Just takes time to prepare.
Cherry pitters are a “must have” utensil.
I used to work in and taught cooking classes at Someone’s In The Kitchen in Rapid City City, SD. A fantastic store, but I spent way too much of my employee discount there. I think I own every gadget and cookbook made. But I do use them! What fun!
Check out the Iowa variant, Google “Maid Rite”
Ohhh Yeah...
The basic recipe looks good. But putting meat in cold skillet seem like a bad idea. You lose the malliard reaction for that tasty browning of meat in fat. Oh the terms you learn watching Alton Brown.
Well, we were also stumped by the ‘lean ground beef’; we can’t find that, and just used ‘regular’ ground beef from the store, which was about 80/20. My husband did cook it down a very long time.
I never knew I needed a cherry pitter, until I saw recipes for pickled and brandied cherries - I’ve never done anything with fresh cherries but eat them out of the basket. Do you know what kind you have, or what the best one is?
-JT
I think ours may not have been tomato-y enough.
-JT
The one I have is made by Oxo. I think.
I was thinking that meat mixture would be wonderful in pie dough crescents w/ a sweet/tangy tomatoey dipping sauce.
The one I have is made by Oxo. I think.
THIS IS CALLED “THE CHEF’S 321 PICKLE”
3 c water, 2 c vinegar, cup sugar, 1/2 c salt.
You can pickle just about anything you want w/ this recipe.
I have a sloppy Joe recipe that turns out a lot like manwich. it’s a lit of work (chopping things) for not being any better than a can. but I suppose it is cheaper.
that was a treat thx for posting
How do I can pickles with that recipe?
I just planted about 10 cucumbers....I will be overrun with cucumbers in a couple months! do I need a special breed (I know that’s the wrong word...) of cucumber or will any young cucumber work?
Cornell Horticulture indicates zones 5-9. It does look like a challenge:
http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/mfruit/quince.html
Thanks. We generally find Oxo gadgets to be very good.
-JT
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