Ingredients:
1/3 lb lean ground beef
1/3 lb ground pork
1/3 lb ground veal
6 oz tomato paste
3/4 cup beef stock
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
3/4 cup diced fire-roasted Hatch Green Chiles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground chipotle
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno chile flakes
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt

Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute the garlic, onion, peppers and carrot in olive oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add meat and saute until brown, stirring to break up the meat. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes, until thickened. Serve on buns.

My thoughts:

In addition to trying to use up things I canned last year, I am trying to eat up food that I froze before it rolls back into season again. I still have a good stash of fire-roasted Hatch Green Chiles in my freezer so I’ve been tossing them into chili and tacos and other recipes that need a kick. I also made these sloppy joes and they were so good that I thought I’d share. They are spicy so perhaps this is more of a grown-up sloppy joe (if there is such a thing) than the sweet-ish kind you get from a jar. However, the nostalgia factor is still there and honestly, I’d rather eat something tasty than something bottled and “authentic” just for memory’s sake. If you want to get really kitschy, serve it with tater tots and serve it on tv trays.