Between a crisis at work, in-laws visiting, freelancing and all the normal household chores that must be done every day, ready-made meals seemed like the only answer to that eternal question:  What's for dinner?

Then, a humble kitchen stalwart saved the day - good old beef mince.  Mince isn't glamorous, or sexy or exotic.  It's pretty straightforward and when you cook it, you know exactly what to expect.  However, the number of ways you can cook it is only limited by your imagination.  Most importantly, you can make really delicious and quick meals with mince.

In the interest of full disclosure, I now need to tell you that I don't eat red meat, pork or game.  I won't bore you with the reasons why, but let me reassure you that I am married to a man who enjoys all of the above immensely.  Therefore, I cook it and he eats it and everybody is happy.  He also has to taste the dish as I go along to make sure the seasonings are spot on.  That's one way of getting him into the kitchen, I guess!

TOP 500 WENRESEPTE - SLOPPY JOE MINCE

Sloppy Joes originated in the United States and basically consists of beef mince, tomatoes, onions, peppers and seasonings cooked together and then served on a bun.  I found a recipe in Top 500 Wenresepte that resembles the American version fairly closely.  The recipe is called Basiese Tamatiemaalvleis (Basic Tomato Mince), which makes me about as excited to try it as going to the dentist.  Hence, the renaming of the dish. 

Once you have the basic mince mixture, the sky is the limit.  Turn it into a Shepherd's Pie by giving it a mash topping, serve it on top of a baked potato, or as a filling in a vetkoek, serve it over plain rice or couscous, or indeed enjoy it as our American friends do inside a fresh bread roll. 

It's a great recipe when you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but want to make something delicious and wholesome.  The amount of chopping you have to do is minimal and you only need a chopping board, sharp knife and one deep pan, so washing up is a breeze.  Now that's what I call my type of recipe!

Let's cook!

SLOPPY JOE MINCE (BASIC TOMATO MINCE)

Serves 4 - 6

Cooking oil (I used olive oil)

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 small red pepper (I used a green pepper, which was medium-sized.)

3 strips of bacon, chopped

750g of beef mince (I bought a kilogram and just used the whole lot.)

1 can of chopped tomatoes (400 g)

65ml (1 packet or small tin) of tomato paste

5ml (1 teaspoon) of dried sweet basil

1ml (¼ teaspoon) of nutmeg

5ml (1 teaspoon) of white sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion, garlic and pepper until soft.  Add the bacon and fry until cooked.  Add the mince and fry until cooked.  Add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and let it cook for 20 minutes on a low heat. 

Serve and enjoy!

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