I spent most of my childhood growing up in Brooklyn. Of all the fond memories I have of those times, having fun with my friends in the school cafeteria provided me with some of the happiest times of my educational life. From winning the skelly competitions, eating contests, and chocolate milk drinking contests, to banging beats on the table for impromptu musical performances, lunchtime was always fun (unless the supervising people were being ridiculously mean us).
One meal I remember being an all-round favorite was Sloppy Joe. I have no idea why they call it Sloppy Joe, but every kid I knew loved it, and devoured it sloppily, though happily. Some would scoop it into their bread and have it sandwich style, others would dip their bread in pieces at a time, and others would eat the Sloppy Joe, and forget the bread. There were many ways to enjoy this meal.
Because of the way I was raised, I grew up eating different kinds of meat. One day I asked one of the lunch ladies if they would tell me some of the ingredients so I could ask my parents to try to make it. "Ground beef" was among their ingredients.
"What's that? Where does it come from?" I asked.
The sweet old ladies laughed and answered "From cows, sweetie."
I cried my heart out for days and never ate Sloppy Joe again. Yet, more than 14 years later, yesterday morning I woke up thinking about Sloppy Joe. What if I could make a veggie version? I told hubby about my idea and looked at me as if I had two heads. How could I tell him about something with meat in it that tasted so good and then tell him I was going to make a veggie version?
The carnivore had a point. I promised to make it as close to the real thing as I possibly could and started researching for veggie Sloppy Joes online. Surprisingly, there were quite a lot. However, most of them called for things I couldn't get my hands on down here, like TVP (textured vegetable protein), vegetarian ground meat, portabella mushrooms, and extra firm tofu.
So I decided to invent my own thing. Not only was I inventing something I hadn't eaten since my childhood, I wanted it to be edible, and even more daunting, pass the carnivore approval test. I had my work cut out for me.
HOW I MADE IT
1/4 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
2 tbsp butter, margarine, or oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 medium - large cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, string beans, bell peppers)
1 whole stick of dried bean curd
3 tbsp tomato sauce/pasta sauce
5 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp freshly chopped green seasoning
2 medium - large pimientos,jalapenos
1 whole hot pepper (I used a Congo Pepper)
3 cups water
1. Put the bean curd stick, whole, in a pot of boiling water for about ten minutes. Remove from heat, cover the pot, and leave the bean curd to soak in the hot water for three hours. Wash the bean curd and squeeze out the moisture. Cut into strips and chop finely. Put into a bowl and season with 1 tbsp freshly chopped green seasoning, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp paprika, and salt & pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
2. In a
medium - low heated saucepan, add 2 tbsp of butter, margarine, or vegetable oil (you can also use cooking spray). Add the chopped shiitake mushrooms and leave for two minutes. Add chopped onion and minced garlic. Stir, and leave for another two minutes. Add seasoned bean curd and stir.
3. Blend the mixed vegetables for three fifteen second intervals and add to the saucepan. Stir, add 1/2 cup of water. Add tomato sauce/pasta sauce and add another 1/2 cup of water. Add the chopped pimientos/jalapenos and vinegar.
4. Stick the hot pepper on the end of a fork or skewer and roast it on the stove top for five minutes, turning consistently to roast evenly. Add it to the pot and cover. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer for ten minutes. [Note: the pepper loses most of its spiciness as it is softened through roasting and even more so throughout the cooking process.]
5. Once the sauce has thickened, add salt and pepper to taste and add the rest of the water and let it simmer until the sauce thickens again. Then add the tomato paste, stir, and remove from heat.
Serve and enjoy!
REVIEWS
Following the old tradition from the school cafeteria, I served this with bread. However, I made French bread to go with it rather than buns. I absolutely loved it! My first portion was just as I turned the heat down, and the flavor hit me like a wave. My personal taste isn't one for the slightest inkling of salt, so I enjoyed it better with my second, cooled down portion. After the second portion I almost proposed to myself. I offered hubby a sample, and later he agreed to try some on his own. As for the pepper, there's never enough pepper in anything for me, so I cut pieces of the pepper with every serving I had and relished in the juicy, soft flavor.
Hubby nodded and
mmmmhmmmmmmed throughout his serving, but is now curious to try it with beef. Yay me and my big mouth. *pouts*
