Recipe: "Crockpot Sloppy José Filling"
Jul. 26th, 2014 11:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithToday we went to the farmer's market and bought ingredients for two batches of freezer food. One is new, the other an old favorite. This afternoon I made Crockpot Sloppy José Filling. Tomorrow's project will be Venison Spaghetti Sauce.
"Crockpot Sloppy José Filling"
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. tomatillos
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 lime (zest and juice)
1/4 cup dried cilantro flakes
1/2 teaspoon pink salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 lb. lamb chorizo
2 lb. ground beef
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
Directions:
Peel the husks off the tomatillos, wash the tomatillos and then chop them. Put them in the crockpot, cover, and turn it on Low.
Chop 1 white onion. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add that. Scrape those into the crockpot.
Zest the lime, then juice it. Add to the crockpot. Cook for 2 hours, or until the vegetables start to get tender.
Add 1/4 cup dried cilantro flakes, 1/2 teaspoon pink salt, 1/2 teaspoon smoked black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke to the crockpot.
Put the chorizo and ground beef into an electric skillet and turn it to low heat. Carefully break the meat into tiny pieces, mixing together as much as possible. Cook until browned. Chorizo tends to retain a reddish color even when cooked, so gauge from the beef. Scoop up the browned meat, allowing the grease to drain, then transfer the meat into the crockpot.
Cook for 2-3 more hours, until the meat and vegetables are well blended and the flavors have matured. Add tapioca starch as needed for thickening.
Makes about 10 servings. Filling may be divided into containers and frozen. The finished filling is flavorful but not hot. (No esta picante.) If you want to make it spicy-hot then consider adding salsa verde, jalapeno, or serrano peppers.
Notes:
Tomatillos are Mexican green tomatoes that have a papery husk. They provide one of the main flavors for the sloppy josé. If you can't find these, you may substitute ordinary green tomatoes.
Dried cilantro soaks up the moisture and helps bind the mix together, but you can try this with fresh cilantro if you wish. Parsley flakes should work if you don't have cilantro.
Pink salt is a gourmet salt with a moderate amount of trace minerals. Popular varieties include Himalayan and Australian. Another good salt for this recipe would be any kind of smoked salt. If you don't have the fancy kinds, then sea salt or plain table salt will work instead.
Smoked black pepper adds to the smoky flavor of the filling. If you don't have it, substitute ordinary black pepper.
Chorizo is a Spanish/Mexican sausage, usually very spicy and made from pork. We found a lamb version at a farmer's market, which is spicy and flavorful but not hot. It mixes marvelously with the beef here. Other alternatives would be to use a small amount of hot pork chorizo with some ground lamb, or the 1 1/2 pounds of hot pork chorizo for a much spicier sloppy josé.
In addition to making sandwiches, this could also be used as taco filling or tostito chip dip. This recipe is gluten-free as made, and can be eaten with other things than wheat bread.
This is a recipe in active development. It's quite tasty but my partner Doug and I agree that it needs something more. We have discussed possibilities including hominy, sweet corn, and cheese.
"Crockpot Sloppy José Filling"
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. tomatillos
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 lime (zest and juice)
1/4 cup dried cilantro flakes
1/2 teaspoon pink salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 lb. lamb chorizo
2 lb. ground beef
3 tablespoons tapioca starch
Directions:
Peel the husks off the tomatillos, wash the tomatillos and then chop them. Put them in the crockpot, cover, and turn it on Low.
Chop 1 white onion. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and add that. Scrape those into the crockpot.
Zest the lime, then juice it. Add to the crockpot. Cook for 2 hours, or until the vegetables start to get tender.
Add 1/4 cup dried cilantro flakes, 1/2 teaspoon pink salt, 1/2 teaspoon smoked black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke to the crockpot.
Put the chorizo and ground beef into an electric skillet and turn it to low heat. Carefully break the meat into tiny pieces, mixing together as much as possible. Cook until browned. Chorizo tends to retain a reddish color even when cooked, so gauge from the beef. Scoop up the browned meat, allowing the grease to drain, then transfer the meat into the crockpot.
Cook for 2-3 more hours, until the meat and vegetables are well blended and the flavors have matured. Add tapioca starch as needed for thickening.
Makes about 10 servings. Filling may be divided into containers and frozen. The finished filling is flavorful but not hot. (No esta picante.) If you want to make it spicy-hot then consider adding salsa verde, jalapeno, or serrano peppers.
Notes:
Tomatillos are Mexican green tomatoes that have a papery husk. They provide one of the main flavors for the sloppy josé. If you can't find these, you may substitute ordinary green tomatoes.
Dried cilantro soaks up the moisture and helps bind the mix together, but you can try this with fresh cilantro if you wish. Parsley flakes should work if you don't have cilantro.
Pink salt is a gourmet salt with a moderate amount of trace minerals. Popular varieties include Himalayan and Australian. Another good salt for this recipe would be any kind of smoked salt. If you don't have the fancy kinds, then sea salt or plain table salt will work instead.
Smoked black pepper adds to the smoky flavor of the filling. If you don't have it, substitute ordinary black pepper.
Chorizo is a Spanish/Mexican sausage, usually very spicy and made from pork. We found a lamb version at a farmer's market, which is spicy and flavorful but not hot. It mixes marvelously with the beef here. Other alternatives would be to use a small amount of hot pork chorizo with some ground lamb, or the 1 1/2 pounds of hot pork chorizo for a much spicier sloppy josé.
In addition to making sandwiches, this could also be used as taco filling or tostito chip dip. This recipe is gluten-free as made, and can be eaten with other things than wheat bread.
This is a recipe in active development. It's quite tasty but my partner Doug and I agree that it needs something more. We have discussed possibilities including hominy, sweet corn, and cheese.
Re: Seems to be missing texture
Date: 2014-07-27 04:51 am (UTC)It came out about the consistency of taco filling. The tomatillos cooked down more than I expected, although there are still bits of them and the onion visible. Next time I might leave the pieces bigger and add the meat sooner.
Doug doesn't want whole hominy, although I'd be fine with it. That's what got me thinking of white sweet corn as a possibility. We've done a fried corn salsa with some similar ingredients.
>> And since I'm thinking of what would mix with the spices listed, I'd toast the kernels with a teensy, tiny pinch of both gumbo file and ground cinnamon. <<
I'm happy with the flavor. The chorizo is plenty, and the rest of the spices just help connect the vegetables to the meat.
>> Since I'm hitting the Mexican market tomorrow (along with the Farmer's market)- I'm going to print this out and try a batch ourselves, using the new pyramid salt we found at Trader Joe's. <<
Yay! Let me know how it works out for you? I'm always interested in feedback on recipes. Feel free to tinker according to your family's taste.
Re: Seems to be missing texture
Date: 2014-07-27 05:10 am (UTC)Mix spices according to mood, season, time of day, phase of the moon and how many words spoken per person in the last hour. Quiet days mean bland food.
If you think anything is predictable after meeting house rules 1 and 2... you've got a sturdier grasp of reality than I do!
White corn is in season here, in a BIG way. If you cut it fresh from the cob and heat it just long enough to blend ingredients, it might be a really good compromise between the two of you.
I've got it on my list already.
Re: Seems to be missing texture
Date: 2014-07-27 07:51 am (UTC)Garlic tea is good for colds, if you have the stomach for it. The Stinking Rose in San Francisco has garlic ice cream.
>> Mix spices according to mood, season, time of day, phase of the moon and how many words spoken per person in the last hour. Quiet days mean bland food. <<
Huh. Yeah, when I'm feeling low I tend to favor comfort food that isn't overstimulating.
>> If you think anything is predictable after meeting house rules 1 and 2... you've got a sturdier grasp of reality than I do! <<
That must suck.
>> White corn is in season here, in a BIG way. If you cut it fresh from the cob and heat it just long enough to blend ingredients, it might be a really good compromise between the two of you. <<
It's a thought. I love white corn.
Re: Seems to be missing texture
Date: 2014-07-27 01:05 pm (UTC)Which reminds me-- since you say it's already the texture of taco seasoning, try adding shredded zucchini when you add the tomatillos. Gives an overall lighter feel and taste without a huge 'zucchini' flavor.