The perfect hot sandwich to feed a crowd!
Some recipes last generations, and are passed down from family member to family member, or just stick around in public memory as being something tasty that's definitely worth the effort. Such is the sloppy joe, a classic sandwich with a long history that pre-dates the 1970's, but nevertheless appears in Julie's Cooking Studio as a favorite food of Julie's, noting that her new school serves them in the cafeteria for lunch.
You all know by now that I love trying my hand at recipes American Girl released for their historical characters, and although this didn't make its way into any of Julie's school related accessory sets, I was still eager to give this one a shot.
You all know by now that I love trying my hand at recipes American Girl released for their historical characters, and although this didn't make its way into any of Julie's school related accessory sets, I was still eager to give this one a shot.
The sloppy joe might be a classic 70's dinner, but its history goes back further than that. The exact origin is - as we've come to expect with every historic recipe - a little up in the air, but researchers like The Food Timeline suggest that there's probably not a Joe who can take credit for being the first person to make this tasty meal. Many sources date the sandwich back to the 1930's or 40's, and suggest that it got its name because it's a sloppy sandwich, with filling spilling out over the sides, called "joe" the same way that someone might be an "average Joe."
However, other researchers date the creation to the 1930's in Sioux City, Iowa, where the local classic "loose meat sandwiches" were perfected into what we now know as the sloppy joe: a sandwich made from ground beef swimming in tomato sauce and spices. Loose meat sandwiches are apparently a midwestern classic which this New Englander had never heard of before. These sandwiches were popular as a way to stretch meat with fillers like breadcrumbs, making them an important staple during hard times. Definitely will need to revisit these with a Kit recipe someday!
Another issue with dating sloppy joes is other similar sandwiches appear in various cookbooks under different names, making it difficult to really datamine old texts to see when these sandwiches first started appearing on American tables. Whatever their origin, sloppy joes remained popular staples for cafeterias, restaurants and family dinner tables.
Sloppy joes appear in Changes for Julie/Soaring High depending on your edition, when Julie is feeling bad about how other students have been treating her friend Joy while she and Julie run for student body president/vice president. Julie and her friend T.J. eat them in the cafeteria, and T.J. offers to eat Julie's as she's too upset and worried about what happened to finish hers.
Although these were a standard cafeteria food of the time, Julie's Cooking Studio also notes that Julie's life changed a lot when her parents divorced, especially when it came to dinner time. Her mom was often too busy running her business to do a full cooked meal, so nights at her mom's apartment meant take out more often than not. Meals with her dad on the weekends might be more traditional dinners, but I find that a tiny bit hard to believe given that Daniel Albright was used to having a wife cook for him and now suddenly was living the bachelor life. Cooking in the home was still very gendered in the 1970's, so it's definitely possible that Daniel isn't actually that comfortable or confident in the kitchen, as he probably went from having his mom make meals for him to having Joyce do it when they got married.
I think this recipe could also fit both these scenarios: sloppy joes are pretty easy and quick to make, meaning either Daniel or Joyce could throw them together without too much time, effort, or culinary skill. They're tasty, filling, and make a fair amount without breaking the bank, meaning you've got a good amount for a family dinner or to save for reheating later in the week. They're also a little fun and decadent, so it was probably a treat for Julie to come home to them regardless of which parent had prepared them, and a homemade sandwich definitely tasted better than a school cafeteria's version.
Regardless of why you're making them, they're pretty easy to do. The official AG version asks you to dice up a small onion and half a red or green bell pepper. The cookbook includes instructions on how to save the second half of the pepper for another recipe, but to be honest I just ate it while I worked on this.
Dice up one clove of garlic and cook it, the onion, and pepper for three minutes in some olive oil on medium heat.
Next, add a pound of ground beef. Cook the meat on medium heat until it's browned on all sides, which should take about 5-7 minutes.
When the beef is browned, the recipe asks you to drain the meat mixture to help get the fat content down. Dump it into a strainer over a bowl, and then return the mixture to the pan or pot. The recipe instructs you to set the bowl of drippings aside "until it hardens", but honestly mine was just normal beef drippings. The fat did solidify on the top a little, but it remained really liquidy even after sitting for a day, so we just threw it out as is. Not sure why they're acting like it'll totally congeal like bacon grease.
The final step is adding your flavoring: one 10 oz can of tomato sauce, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (although we added a little more because that definitely didn't seem like enough!), salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of water to help loosen the sauce out a little and keep it from getting too thick. This simmers on low for 20 minutes, and then you're ready to serve!
Normal hamburger buns are the recommended serving vehicle. Jessi usually toasts hers when she makes sloppy joes, but the recipe doesn't suggest this, so I went without for that authentic, cafeteria look and feel.
As far as recipes from American Girl cookbooks go, this was pretty good. Jess makes a really good sloppy joe occasionally, and I'd say hers are a little more flavorful than these if you're following the Cooking Studio recipe to the letter, but if you're willing to experiment a little with flavoring, you could definitely achieve the same kind of thing with this recipe. But if you follow the recipe exactly, this is still a tasty sandwich. Super soggy if you let the filling sit on the bun though, so toasting it might help create more of a barrier if you're not planning on scarfing it down as fast as humanly possible. It's also quite easy to follow and something I'd feel confident letting a younger chef make with supervision and/or relatively minimal adult assistance, making it a good fit for a kid's cookbook.
This recipe makes about enough sloppy joes to make between six to eight sandwiches depending on how stingy you get with the filling. It's easy enough to double (or even triple!) too, making it a good idea for a Julie themed party, or any retro event you might be planning on hosting.
Whether this is a meal you'd get in a cafeteria or your own home, these sandwiches are a fun throw back that are definitely worth trying out yourself! I can definitely see how they earned a slot in the chapter of Julie's favorite foods.
However, other researchers date the creation to the 1930's in Sioux City, Iowa, where the local classic "loose meat sandwiches" were perfected into what we now know as the sloppy joe: a sandwich made from ground beef swimming in tomato sauce and spices. Loose meat sandwiches are apparently a midwestern classic which this New Englander had never heard of before. These sandwiches were popular as a way to stretch meat with fillers like breadcrumbs, making them an important staple during hard times. Definitely will need to revisit these with a Kit recipe someday!
Another issue with dating sloppy joes is other similar sandwiches appear in various cookbooks under different names, making it difficult to really datamine old texts to see when these sandwiches first started appearing on American tables. Whatever their origin, sloppy joes remained popular staples for cafeterias, restaurants and family dinner tables.
Sloppy joes appear in Changes for Julie/Soaring High depending on your edition, when Julie is feeling bad about how other students have been treating her friend Joy while she and Julie run for student body president/vice president. Julie and her friend T.J. eat them in the cafeteria, and T.J. offers to eat Julie's as she's too upset and worried about what happened to finish hers.
Although these were a standard cafeteria food of the time, Julie's Cooking Studio also notes that Julie's life changed a lot when her parents divorced, especially when it came to dinner time. Her mom was often too busy running her business to do a full cooked meal, so nights at her mom's apartment meant take out more often than not. Meals with her dad on the weekends might be more traditional dinners, but I find that a tiny bit hard to believe given that Daniel Albright was used to having a wife cook for him and now suddenly was living the bachelor life. Cooking in the home was still very gendered in the 1970's, so it's definitely possible that Daniel isn't actually that comfortable or confident in the kitchen, as he probably went from having his mom make meals for him to having Joyce do it when they got married.
I think this recipe could also fit both these scenarios: sloppy joes are pretty easy and quick to make, meaning either Daniel or Joyce could throw them together without too much time, effort, or culinary skill. They're tasty, filling, and make a fair amount without breaking the bank, meaning you've got a good amount for a family dinner or to save for reheating later in the week. They're also a little fun and decadent, so it was probably a treat for Julie to come home to them regardless of which parent had prepared them, and a homemade sandwich definitely tasted better than a school cafeteria's version.
Regardless of why you're making them, they're pretty easy to do. The official AG version asks you to dice up a small onion and half a red or green bell pepper. The cookbook includes instructions on how to save the second half of the pepper for another recipe, but to be honest I just ate it while I worked on this.
Dice up one clove of garlic and cook it, the onion, and pepper for three minutes in some olive oil on medium heat.
Next, add a pound of ground beef. Cook the meat on medium heat until it's browned on all sides, which should take about 5-7 minutes.
The final step is adding your flavoring: one 10 oz can of tomato sauce, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (although we added a little more because that definitely didn't seem like enough!), salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of water to help loosen the sauce out a little and keep it from getting too thick. This simmers on low for 20 minutes, and then you're ready to serve!
Normal hamburger buns are the recommended serving vehicle. Jessi usually toasts hers when she makes sloppy joes, but the recipe doesn't suggest this, so I went without for that authentic, cafeteria look and feel.
As far as recipes from American Girl cookbooks go, this was pretty good. Jess makes a really good sloppy joe occasionally, and I'd say hers are a little more flavorful than these if you're following the Cooking Studio recipe to the letter, but if you're willing to experiment a little with flavoring, you could definitely achieve the same kind of thing with this recipe. But if you follow the recipe exactly, this is still a tasty sandwich. Super soggy if you let the filling sit on the bun though, so toasting it might help create more of a barrier if you're not planning on scarfing it down as fast as humanly possible. It's also quite easy to follow and something I'd feel confident letting a younger chef make with supervision and/or relatively minimal adult assistance, making it a good fit for a kid's cookbook.
This recipe makes about enough sloppy joes to make between six to eight sandwiches depending on how stingy you get with the filling. It's easy enough to double (or even triple!) too, making it a good idea for a Julie themed party, or any retro event you might be planning on hosting.
Whether this is a meal you'd get in a cafeteria or your own home, these sandwiches are a fun throw back that are definitely worth trying out yourself! I can definitely see how they earned a slot in the chapter of Julie's favorite foods.
What's your opinion on this cafeteria classic?
I love Sloppy Joes! Well, now I would eat the veggie version but when I ate meat, I absolutely loved them.
ReplyDeleteI always thought it was like eating spaghetti sauce without the spaghetti. Yum! I ate mine with a knife and fork because it was so...sloppy (laugh).
Now I'm thinking about making a version with Italian herbs and spices. Thanks for the inspiration!!
DeleteI've made this recipe many times, mainly for the reasons you listed - it's tasty and quick and easy to make, and as a single, it gives me leftovers for days. Red peppers are expensive at most times of the year, so I tend to leave them out when they're hard to find. Tastes just as good. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm usually not a fan of cooked red pepper, so I was very relieved to find the seasoning smothered the taste a little, but I'll definitely keep that in mind for next time too. :)
DeleteI am also a sloppy joe lover but I use ketchup. Our recipe dates back to my great grandmother, Hannah, who made her own "catsip" so it would have been her own tomatoes but vinegar was definitely present (and vinegar does a lot to help loose meat). We use the high-fructose-free ketchup now. I also think that the ground beef we buy now has a lower fat content than it did even twenty years ago so I don't drain most of the time. I will (don't try this at home) dab out fat with a wad of Bounty while the pot is still on the stove. BUT then, we sprinkle with flour and let that absorb in and brown before adding the ketchup, water, Worchester and OREGANO. Yup, oregano which incidentally is how you get "Manwich" flavor but I didn't know that until I got married and my ex only knew canned sloppy joe mix. I don't use much oregano but it does make a difference. The thought of putting any veg in sloppy joe is so weird to me too. Also, we serve on potato rolls. Depending on the meals for the rest of the week, we've used sliders, hot dog rolls, etc. Leftovers get eaten like dip with Nacho Cheese Doritoes (trust me). And by leftovers I mean what fell on your plate while you were eating. (Our original recipe also called for sugar but we haven't added that in years and no one remembers it that way now).
ReplyDeleteI say "catsup" too. My friends all laugh at me. There was a brand (I can't remember which) which called itself catsup.
DeleteThis is great!! Thanks so much for sharing your suggestions and secret ingredients, definitely will give some of this a shot next time we make them. :)
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