Sloppy Joes
2 Tbsp. water, divided
1/2 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. baking soda, divided
1 pound 85% lean ground beef
1/2 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. salt, divided
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp packed brown sugar
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
4 hamburger buns
Combine 1 Tbsp. water and 1/2 tsp. baking soda in small bowl. In a large bowl, toss beef with water mixture and 1/2 tsp. salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
Heat oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/8 tsp. baking soda and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Stir in sugar, paprika, pepper flakes and 1/8 tsp. salt and cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste is rust colored, 3-4 minutes.
Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Mash beef with potato masher until finely textured, about 1 minute. Add ketchup, vinegar and Worcestershire and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits.
Combine cornstarch and 1 Tbsp. water in small bowl, then pour mixture over beef and stir well. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and coats beef, about 1 minute. Season with salt, extra sugar and/or extra vinegar to taste. Spoon mixture over hamburger buns and serve.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melt
Filling
3 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
For the topping:
Whisk dry ingredients together into a bowl. Add melted butter and stir until no dry spots of flour remain and mixture forms clumps. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the filling:
Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss all ingredients in large bowl until thoroughly combined. Transfer to 10-inch oven safe skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until fruit has released enough liquid to be mostly submerged, rhubarb is beginning to break down, and juices have thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Squeeze topping into large clumps with your hands. Crumble topping into pea-size pieces and sprinkle evenly over filling. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling around sides of skillet, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Serves 6.