Tour of Fifty States: Iowa's meal

What do you think of when you hear Iowa?  Corn!   Well, we did include corn in this meal and plenty of "corny" jokes were said around the table.  We couldn't "shuck" our responsibilities to put jokes in each others' "ears," now, couldn't we? 
Loose Meat Sandwiches were made popular on the "Roseanne" show from the early 1990s, when she opened a Loose Meat restaurant.  Yes, the show was set in Illinois, but it seems that Indiana and Iowa also lay claim to the Loose Meat sandwich.  See below the recipe title for a little more history. 
Menu: Loose Meat Sandwiches, Corn, Sweet Corn Panna Cotta

Outcome: The loose meat sandwiches were okay, but just not good. I followed the recipe below, but we found that more zip, more oomph, more gusto, etc., needed to be added. Perhaps I didn’t find a good recipe -- but we all agreed that the meat should have been saucier. This just seemed like a broken-up hamburger patty. We added cheese and extra ketchup to our sandwiches which helped a little -- I think we’re used to the “Manwich” style of sloppy joes, which are much more “sloppy” and saucy.  

 

Since both girls are in braces, we opted to have canned corn for them and corn on the cob for the rest of us.  (Not pictured, everyone should know how to serve corn!) 

 

The Sweet Corn Panna Cotta turned out to be the star of this meal. We didn’t have proper ramekins to let the custard set in, so I used some small dessert bowls. This worked in our favor, and we were able to have our dessert two different times. The first time I drizzled caramel over the top and the second time I spooned some freshly made peach preserves over the top. We liked the faint corn taste that was infused in the custard. Yes, I used the fancy cooking term "infused"! LOL   

 

Next up: Brandi’s turn! She chose California!

 

Loose Meat Sandwiches

The loose meat sandwich is sometimes known as a steamer or tavern sandwich.  Some say it originated at Ye Olde Tavern in Sioux City in the 1920s, and others claim it was at Maid-Rite in Muscatine in the same decade. This sandwich may be the older brother of the sloppy joe and is simply crumbled hamburger with seasonings served on a bun, commonly with mustard and dill pickles. Other add-ons are ketchup, onion, and cheese.

Loose Meat Sandwiches

Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 35 min.  

 

Ingredients:

 

• 2 lb. ground beef
• 1 chopped onion
• ¾ cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 16 hamburger buns, warmed

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef and onion.
2. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. 
3. Drain and discard any excess grease. 
4. Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and salt. 
5. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes longer. 
6. Serve on warmed buns.

Serves 8 (2 sandwiches each) 

Sweet Corn Panna Cotta

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 large ear of sweet corn, husked, kernels removed 
• 4 ½ cups heavy cream, divided 
• 1 (.25-oz.) package unflavored gelatin 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• ½ cup sugar 

  

  Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Caramel Drizzle

  
  

  

  Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Peach Preserves

Directions: 

1. Combine corn with 3 ½ cups of cream in a saucepot and heat until it simmers. Take pot off of heat and let it sit for 30 minutes. 
2. When corn mixture is cooled, puree in a blender. Strain puree back into pot. 
3. Pour 1 cup of cream in a saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over it. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Heat mixture over medium heat until gelatin dissolves. 
4. Add vanilla, sugar, and gelatin mixture to corn puree. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves then strain again. 
5. Pour mixture into 4 to 6 ramekins or custard cups. Chill for 4 to 6 hours. Serve with berries or whipped cream. 

Serves 4 to 6.