Monkey joes

I know sloppy joes are just ahead of dog food on the elegance scale, but John loves them, so they appear on the menu from time to time. I think the best recipe I've tried, if beef hash really requires a recipe, is this one adapted from the Boston Globe Cookbook. The most important step is to toast your buns so they remain a sturdy conduit for the slop.

In the photo are our friend Tim's homemade pickles, canned last summer.

1. Chop 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 1-2 jalapenos and 4 cloves of garlic. Brown a pound of beef, drain, and set the meat aside. Add a little oil to the same pot and brown the onion and peppers 6-8 minutes until soft.

2. Add the garlic and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Stir the meat back into the pan. Add 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with its juice, 2 T. cider vinegar, 2 T. brown sugar, 2 T. Worcestershire sauce, a dollop of brown mustard, a sprinkling of ground cloves, and a dash of liquid hot sauce.

3. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, set the oven at 375. Put 4 rolls on a baking sheet and brush their cut sides with olive oil. Toast lightly for 10 minutes or until golden.

Huevos rancheros

Huevos rancheros is one of my favorite brunches, so I had to try this recipe from the Boston Globe Cookbook. For whatever reason, this smoky Southwestern dish is extremely popular in my decidedly Northeastern town, appearing on nearly every Sunday brunch menu across the city. The recipe was written for 12, implying that it's not worth the trouble for any fewer, but thankfully it adapted easily for 2 and really wasn't difficult at all. I have drastically amped up the proportions of garlic and chipotles.

1. Mince one small onion, 2-4 cloves of garlic, and 4 T. fresh cilantro. Open a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and chop up 2 of the chiles. Grate 2-3 ounces of Cojita, cheddar or jack cheese. Dice 1 avocado.

2. Brown the onion and garlic, then add the chiles, some of the adobo sauce, and about a third of a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes. Simmer about 10 minutes, then stir in half the cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

3. Empty a 15 oz. can of black beans into a small saucepan and add 1/2 tsp ground cumin. Mash the beans coarsely with a potato masher, then let simmer over low heat.

4. Heat 2 T. peanut or canola oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan and add 2 corn tortillas. Cook 1 minute or until crisp and brown, then flip and fry the second side. Turn them onto a plate and repeat with 2 more tortillas on a second plate.

5. In the same pan used for the tortillas, fry 4 eggs until whites are set and place one on each tortilla. (You will have some extra beans and chipotle sauce, so feel free to expand the recipe to 3 or 4 people, cooking 2 tortillas and 2 eggs for each person.

6. Ladle some sauce on the eggs, then sprinkle with cheese and cilantro and garnish with beans and avocado.