Sloppy Cubanos

This is one of my favourite versions of sloppy joes.  I grew up eating sloppy joes and have posted two recipes for it in the past - this traditional version and this Indian-inspired version.  I first saw this particular recipe in Every Day with Rachael Ray way back in August 2007.  I tried it, we loved it, and I've been making it ever since, but just recently realized I hadn't yet shared it with you on my blog. 

Instead of the regular ground beef and tomato sauce mixture, these sloppy joes are made with ground pork and chorizo (I like to use spicy), which is then mixed with onion, garlic, spices, tomato sauce, lime juice, chicken broth, and Worcestershire, and served on a fresh, homemade bun with Swiss cheese and chopped pickles.  Think Cubano meets sloppy joes.  I substituted chipotle chile powder for the paprika as I had run out of paprika, and I loved what it added to the sandwich and will continue to add this spice from now on.

I made my homemade hamburger buns to serve these sandwiches on and toasted them just a bit before piling the mixture on, then stuck the whole thing under the broiler for just a few seconds to melt the cheese.

I should have posted this recipe before the Super Bowl, as these are great sandwiches to chow down on while watching the game.  We like them anytime, however, and eat them throughout the year.  Oh, and definitely have a knife and fork handy as they are messy!

Enjoy!


Sloppy Cubanos
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1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 - 1/3 pound chorizo, casing removed, finely chopped (about 1 cup) (I didn't remove casing, just finely chopped)

1 pound ground pork

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

2 teaspoons paprika (I used chipotle chile powder instead as I had run out of paprika)

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon allspice

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Grated peel and juice of 1 lime

1 cup chicken broth

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

4 Portuguese rolls or submarine rolls, split (I used homemade hamburger buns)

4 deli slices Swiss cheese

3 - 4 large dill or half-sour pickles, chopped

1 bag plantain or other chips

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring, until browned, 2 minutes. Add the pork and cook, crumbling it with a spoon, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the onion, garlic, paprika, coriander and allspice; season with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lime peel and lime juice and mix well; stir in the chicken broth and tomato sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Lightly toast the rolls under the broiler. Pile the meat mixture onto the roll bottoms. Cover with the Swiss cheese and broil until melted, about 30 seconds. Scatter the pickles on the sandwiches, cover with the roll tops and serve with the plantain chips alongside.

Makes 4 servings.

Source:  Every Day with Rachael Ray - August 2007

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