Sept 2-4 Chorizo Sloppy Joes

Sept 2     The Kid ate a tuna sandwich while I was at work eating gummy worms and smart food
Sept 3     Mexican food at Rebozos
Sept 4     Chorizo Sloppy Joes and Cardamom Fruit Crisp



The neighbours and I watched Top Chef Canada pretty religiously and there were a number of dishes that we keep meaning to make from that show. One of them was the chorizo sloppy joes that Rob Rossi made because all of the judges wouldn't shut up about how it was the most delectable thing they had ever eaten in their entire lives. Even on subsequent episodes, Mark McEwan kept saying that he wished that he was eating Rob's sloppy joe instead of eating whatever culinary delight sat in front of him.

The weather has been kind of dodgy this weekend so it seemed a perfect time to haul out my giant Le Creuset birthday pot and whip up a big batch of these mind blowing sloppy joes. For once, I followed the recipe almost to a T (i didn't add the chill flakes) except that I think that he used some sort of magical dried chorizo sausage that I couldn't find anywhere. I ended up using a couple of nice, fat, mild mexican chorizo sausages but other than that, I did not deviate. At first I was disappointed and thought it was kind of bland but I added quite a good pinch of kosher salt and some mexican chill powder and it was much better.

I was still not totally sold on it so I made up a sandwich to photograph and took it next door for The Neighbours to taste and they loved it. I took a bite and realized that it is actually much better than I had originally thought but it still isn't the orgasmic ambrosia that made Mark McEwan weak in the knees.

The leftovers will make a good taco filling for The Kid and, again, it tastes really good after it sits for a while and if you like sloppy joes, you will like this too. It just didn't knock my socks off you know?

Chorizo Sloppy Joes
adapted from Food Network Canada

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tbls smoky mexican chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin, ground
• 2 fat links of fresh mexican chorizo
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1x 660 ml bottle of pureed tomatoes
• 1 cup water, plus a few tablespoons more if needed
• kosher salt to taste

Assembly:

         

• 20 small small soft dinner rolls
• Chorizo Sloppy Joe
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups Manchego Cheese, grated

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Le Creuset French Oven over medium high heat.

Add onions to pot, cook until tender and translucent, approximately 3 minutes.

Add garlic, bay leaves, smoked paprika, black pepper and cumin. Stir.

Add chorizo and break up with a wooden spoon. Sauté until golden and fat has rendered, approximately 10 minutes.

Add ground beef, sauté until meat is cooked, approximately 10 minutes. Drain excess fat.

Add tomato paste, stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Add pureed tomatoes and water. Cook for approximately 30-45 minutes, skimming fat occasionally. Add more water, if necessary.

Keep warm before serving.    

 To serve, spoon the sloppy joes into a bun, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and top with manchego cheese