Sloppy Giuseppe

Got a bag of ground beef, do you? You might like to cross a burger with spaghetti Bolognese and make yourself a Sloppy Giuseppe.

Cook your meat until it's just browned.

Now add some thick spaghetti sauce. We won't judge you if you use jarred stuff. (For our super-thick sauce, we saut�ed onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil until the former just begins to carmelize, then dumped in 16 oz can of tomato puree and a splash of red wine, then seasoned with basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and a dash of chili and let simmer for 30 minutes.)

While that's a-stewing, gird your bread. If you are lucky enough to score some hero rolls or something similar, use those. You might also use sliced bread, though Giuseppe will get very sloppy that way. If all you can get is a crusty boule, follow our lead. We opted to lop off two sides to make two sandwiches.

Mozzarella is key. Get any type you like -- regular, smoked, buffalo -- and get it into a state that fits your bread. We got bocconcini, literally "small tastes" and actually little balls, only because our fromageur was out of the bigger ones.

We hollowed out the hunks of bread and lined the inside with cheese.

When you scoop the hot beef into the pocket, it'll melt the cheese rather nicely.

For a nice finish, we got some freshly grated Parmesan. Always void buying pre-grated cheese unless it's just been made and you plan to use the whole thing within a few days. Otherwise it'll dry out and you'll be a sad little puppy.

Sprinkle a bit on top of the meat, letting it melt before serving.

We recommend serving Sloppy Giuseppes with a side salad, a glass of chilled Lambrusco, and, most importantly, a big napkin.