Sloppy Joe Vol-au-Vent

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1 Mix all ingredients for Sloppy Joe Seasoning in small bowl. Set aside. For the Ragu, preheat oven to 400°F. Place whole tomatoes, onion and garlic in large bowl. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly. Place in large roasting pan or dish.
• 2 Roast vegetables 45 minutes to 1 hour, until browned and very tender.
• 3 Meanwhile, place stew meat in large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with half of the Sloppy Joe Seasoning. Massage seasoning into stew meat, tossing to coat evenly. Let stand 10 minutes.
• 4 Once vegetables are done roasting, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add stew meat and brown on all sides. Add roasted vegetables, squeezing garlic bulbs to release cloves only into pot (discard peels). Using potato masher or heavy spoon, roughly smash tomatoes, onion and garlic. Stir in diced tomatoes and remaining Sloppy Joe Seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.
• 5 Brown ground beef and pork in large skillet. Drain excess fat. After Ragu has simmered 1 hour, stir browned ground beef and pork into Dutch oven. Simmer on medium-low heat 2 1/2 to 3 hours longer, until thickened. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon salt.
• 6 Meanwhile, for the Vol-au-Vents shells, preheat oven to 400°F. Unroll puff pastry sheets onto lightly floured work surface. Use a 5-inch round cutter to cut 4 circles from each dough sheet, for a total of 32 circles. Place 16 of the circles on large parchment-lined baking pans. Brush edges with beaten egg. Use a 3-inch round cutter to punch holes in the center of the remaining 16 circles, separating rings from center piece. Place rings over top of each pastry circle on baking pan. Pierce dough all over with a fork. Place center dough rounds on separate parchment-lined baking pan. Brush all pastry dough with beaten egg. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
• 7 Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.
• 8 Heat oil in medium skillet on medium-high heat. Add ‘Nduja paste to pan and use wooden spoon to break apart. Cook until it softened and darkens to a rich red color. Add panko, stirring to mix well. Cook and stir just until panko is golden brown. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Cool slightly.
• 9 When ready to serve, stir Ragu, breaking up large chunks of meat into bite-size shreds. Place Vol-au-Vent shell on serving plate. Fill with about 1 cup of the Sloppy Joe Ragu and top with panko mixture, Pecorino cheese and small pastry round to serve.
  
  Test Kitchen Tip: ‘Nduja paste is a fermented spreadable pork product from Italy. Sometimes smoked, the cured spread is used to bring rich, meaty flavor and spice (a blend of herbs and spices, along with Calabrian chiles) to sauces and stews, and can even be used as a pizza topping. You can find ‘nduja paste at online retailers, specialty grocery stores, and Italian markets. To replace the ‘nduja paste in this recipe, simply swap in 1/4 cup of the ragu sauce to prepare the panko topping.