Mom's Sloppy Joes

I remember way back in middle and high school the great food that was served....just a bit of sarcasm.  Sloppy Joes especially with the meat in some red sauce steaming in the tray waiting to be spooned onto a small, flat, tasteless bun by the lunch lady.  This song reminds me of it oh so well.  I never let my taste buds anywhere near that chow.
Now on the other hand my mom's Sloppy Joes were fantastic.  With my dad working long hours and my mom going back to school we had these regularly because they are really easy to whip up and delicious.
When I was home last my mom gave me a copy of the family cookbook.  We have a large Italian-American family and it was my Aunt Loretta's idea to compile a list of everyone's favorite home made recipes to share and put them into a little book.

This has some great recipes in it.  No it's not for sale, just something that was passed around the family...but that gives me an idea for a future one!  So this is where I got the Sloppy Joe recipe from.  This recipe actually came from a cousin about 30 years ago and has been passed around to many family members but I call it mom's. 

Mom's Sloppy Joe's
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp mustard
1 cup ketchup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
About 1 tbsp Olive oil
Shredded cheddar cheese to top it off

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute the onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes.  Throw in (not literally) the ground beef and cook through.  Add the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, S+P and give a good stir.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Since I like to do everything from scratch I even made my own rolls.  I've visited and tried many dishes from this site many times and have never been disappointed.  This is a great recipe for home made buns/rolls.  I tested one right out of the oven because I had to see how it tasted, I let it cool of course but just a little.  It was really good so I scarfed the rest of it down.  No more store bought buns for me.
I like mine with cheese but you can leave it out if you want.  I also served it with some chips (that's what they call them here in England)/potato wedges and a nice cold gin and tonic.  Be sure to have plenty of napkins...why else would they call them sloppy?

Lok Lak - Cambodian cuisine

I love to travel, see new places, experience different cultures and of course eat local food.  Before I came to England my girlfriend Nicole and I traveled for 2 months in South East Asia.  One of the countries on the trip was Cambodia.  We went during the rainy season but it wasn't all that bad, just a down pour for about 10-15 minutes cooling things off for a bit.  There were beautiful old temples all over.  Of course when you go to a country where tourism is a source of income to some people the hagglers come out trying to sell you a book or map of the temples which is usually way over priced.  But to me it's all about the experience and they are just trying to make a living. 
There is lots of history there as well with the Khmer Rouge regime which were most known for carrying out genocide.  We visited many of the killing fields on our trip and it was quite disturbing at times.  But overall Cambodia was a really nice place and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and would love to go back.



The people were really friendly -

 The tuk-tuks were fun and scary

And the food was delicious!!

This is all leading somewhere I swear.  One of the dishes I really liked while there was called Lok Lak.  It is a very simple meal of meat and rice but packed with some great flavors.  So here it is...

Beef Lok Lak
300 grams of beef cut into strips (I used a sirloin and rib eye)
1 medium onion sliced into wedges
1 tbsp EVOO

Marinade
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice

Pepper Sauce
1/2 lime juiced
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar

In a medium sized bowl mix all the ingredients of the marinade.  Add the beef strips making sure each piece is coated and let sit for 45-60 minutes. 

While the flavors are getting to know each other, whip up the pepper sauce.  Throw all the ingredients in a small bowl and give a mix, set aside.

Heat the EVOO in a sauce pan, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the beef and marinade to the onions cooking for 5 minutes or so depending on how you well done you like it.  Remove from heat and let sit for a couple minutes to thicken.
Serve over a bed of lettuce and a side of rice with the pepper sauce.  Sliced cucumbers could also be added as a garnish.

Phở - Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Soup

I was at the Asian House in East Lansing, MI when I first sampled Pho (pronounced).  It was really flavorful, delicious, spicy yet refrehsing.  Pho is great to eat on a nice cold wintry day to warm you up.  It was even good when I was in Cambodia with temps around 90ºF and 100% humidity.  I didn't mind sweating my a** off while eating this mouthwatering dish  - well worth the experience, culture and food!
So I bought this cookbook a while back, Gordon Ramsay Healthy Appetite and noticed a recipe in there for a Vietnamese beef and noodle soup or commonly called - Pho.  I showed this to Nicole and she got all excited because she absolutely loves this dish.  I've since made it a few times.
Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup.  It is often served with beef fillet.  I had ostrich so I used that which tasted just as good.  You could use chicken as well.

Serves 3-4
500g beef fillet (about 1lb)
1 in. knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 large garlic clove, peeled and finely crushed
1 tbsp sesame oil
200g dried thin rice noodles or already cooked soft rice noodles
salt and pepper

Slice the beef into rectangular shape pieces, thinly as possible 
Place in a bowl and toss with grated ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, and sesame oil.  Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30-40 minutes

 Broth:
1.5 litres beef stock
1.5 in. knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 star anise
3 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cardamon pod, lightly crushed
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper

For the broth - pour the beef stock into a large pot and add sliced ginger, star anise, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamon pod, caster sugar, fish sauce, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Strain the broth into a clean pan, discarding the ginger and spices.  Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

Add the rice noodles to a large pan of boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions until tender, but still retaining a bite.  Drain and toss with a little sesame oil to prevent them from sticking.
I used ready cooked/soft rice noodles.  Place them in a serving bowl.  They will warm up once the broth is poured over.

Bring the broth to a boil and add the beef and bean sprouts.  Simmer for just 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
Ladle the broth over the noodles, dividing the beef and bean sprouts equally.  

To Serve:
bean sprouts
2-3 spring onions
coriander (cilantro) chopped
lime wedges
hoisin sauce
chilli sauce
small bunch of mint or Thai sweet basil (Optional)