Holiday Recipes: Sloppy Jyotis and Persephone's Revenge

Sloppy Jyotis
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
6 cloves crushed garlic
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1.5 tablespoons each: cumin, corriander powder,
2 tablespoons garam masala

(Note: with last three ingredients, and generally with Indian spices, amounts vary according to taste, leanness of the meat, and the age of the spices you're using. So get experimental.)

18 small brioche (mini-buns)

Preparation:
Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the onion, celery, jalapeño, and bell pepper. Cook until soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 3 or 4 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook meat until browned (about 10 to 12 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

Lower heat back to medium and add the tomato sauce, paste, ketchup, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and Indian spices. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is reduced and the mixture is thick (15 to 30 minutes).

Season with salt and pepper and serve on mini brioches.

You might need some of those extra long toothpicks with the colored cellophane all the ends to keep them together. Because they are, after all, sloppy.

Persephone's Revenge:

Champagne flute with 1" red sugared rim
1/4 ounce Pomegranite Liqueur
Fill to top with chilled Prosecco
garnish with one cranberry floating