Sloppy Joes

The finished sloppy joe - like 'savoury mince' in a roll

This is a very easy and tasty meal that I've been meaning to make for a while, and reading Coby's blog finally persuaded me to try it. I remember Sloppy Joes from the Roseanne TV show - I think she and her friends open up a shop that serves them.

All you have to do is process bacon, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, parsley and oregano until finely minced, then fry it for 10 mins until soft. Add minced beef and brown it, breaking it up as it cooks. Stir in tomato soup - or if you prefer (which is what I did) the equivalent amount of passata, a slosh of milk and a little sugar - and some Worcester sauce. Put lid on and simmer for 45 mins. Serve in rolls (or as Nigella says: "apply to face")

The finely minced bacon and vegetables frying

The finished sloppy joe sauce

This is a similar idea to hamburgers, but the flavour is quite different. It reminds me of 'savoury mince' - a bit of a 1970s meal I think. I'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients:

4 rashers pancetta or 2 rashers of streaky bacon
1 small or 1/2 medium onion, peeled and quartered
2 small -medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp parsley leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
500g minced beef
1 x 400g can Heinz tomato soup, or same amount of tomato passata, slosh of milk and a little sugar
Good sprinkling of Worcestershire sauce
8 buns or soft bread rolls