This particular dish is one of my sister Melinda's favorite meals. I just copied it straight from the Rachel Ray website---Bon Apetit!
Sloppy Joe's Italian cousin!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 pound ground, 90 percent lean sirloin
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 5 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 medium portobello mushroom cap, finely chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon (eyeball it) allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Coarse salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup (a couple of glugs) red wine
- 3/4 cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup (a generous handful) flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 5-8 fresh basil leaves, about 1/4 cup, chopped
- 1/4 cup (a small handful) grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese
- 4 individual ciabatta rolls or any kind of crusty hoagie rolls
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 slices
Yields: 4 servings
Preparation
Preheat the broiler to high.
For the meat sauce, heat a deep skillet or a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of EVOO, twice around the pan. Add the ground beef and cook until lightly browned, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Add green pepper, onion, 3/4 of the garlic, mushrooms, allspice, red pepper flakes and a little salt and pepper to the beef and cook for about 5-8 minutes.
Add the wine and cook another minute then add the beef stock, Worcestershie and tomatoes. Bring the mixture up to a bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Finish it by stirring in a handful of chopped parsley.
While the meat is simmering, combine the remaining garlic with the soft butter, basil, parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Split the rolls in half lengthwise without cutting all the way through and separating the halves. Press open the rolls by flattening them out a little bit. Slather the insides with the butter and place 2 slices of the mozzarella on each roll. Toast until golden brown under the broiler, about 2-3 minutes.
Top one side of the cheesy garlic rolls with a heap of meat and get prepared to get sloppy with Messy Giuseppe!
