Dynamites
Hot stuff, baby!
A dynamite is a sandwich consisting of fried hamburger, peppers, onions, tomato sauce, and crushed red pepper, served on a torpedo roll. It's mostly a make-at-home kind of thing, like sloppy joes, but they can also be found at fairs, festivals, and a few eateries in Woonsocket.
The Beaulieu Family Recipe [Author Linda Beaulieu says the following recipe was distilled from the time-tested recipes of several members of her extended family—ed.]
Ever since I was a little kid, Dynamites have been on the table whenever a large crowd needed to be fed. I remember my mother cooking a big pot of Dynamite filling on the wood-burning stove in the cellar when everyone lost electric power during the famous blizzard of 1978. I'm not sure of the origin, but Dynamites are similar to Sloppy Joes, which virtually do not exist in this part of the country. Dynamite sandwiches are the kind of food you continue to eat even when you are full, just to get another bite, one more taste. So while this recipe may seem to be for a crowd, you will be surprised at how fast it goes. Fresh torpedo rolls, also known as grinder rolls, are available at bakeries and supermarkets throughout Rhode Island. Almost any kind of roll will do, as long as it is substantial enough to hold a serious amount of Dynamite mixture.
- 5 pounds of ground beef
- 5 pounds of green peppers, diced
- 5 pounds of red peppers, diced
- 5 pounds of yellow onions, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 (28-ounce) cans of tomato sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
- hot pepper flakes, to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Italian seasoning, to taste
- 20 fresh torpedo rolls
In a very large stockpot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, stirring often. Add the chopped green and red peppers, onions, and garlic. Mix well. When the vegetables begin to soften, add the tomato sauce, bay leaves, parsley, hot pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for two to three hours.
This filling tastes best if made a day or two ahead of time. Allow the pot to cool and then refrigerate it. Reheat slowly, stirring often. Serve in fresh torpedo rolls. Leftovers freeze very well.
Makes twenty servings.
—From The Providence and Rhode Island Cookbook (2005) by freelance food writer and restaurant publicist Linda Beaulieu. Used with permission.
Kimba's Dynamite Recipe [This is] a pretty basic kind of recipe, and like tomato gravy, it's open to innumerable variations.
- 2 pounds of hamburger
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 2-3 green peppers, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 32-ounce can of tomato puree
- 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
- Salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste
Brown hamburger with celery, peppers, and onions. Drain fat. Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices. Simmer thirty minutes. Serve in soft torpedo rolls.
You can add more heat by adding the "wet" crushed red pepper that comes in jars in the Italian food section.
—posted by Kimba in the alt.rhode_island newsgroup, February 11, 2004.
pukanopolis' Dynamite Recipe A Rhode Island exclusive. Kind of like a Sloppy Joe but far superior. Spicy enough to earn it's name, it's best washed down with a good beer. For you non Rhody people, torpedo rolls are just the long sandwich rolls.
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 (1/4 inch x 3 inch) strip red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 8 torpedo rolls, split
Place the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green pepper, red pepper, yellow onion, and red onion to the skillet, and cook until meat is evenly browned and vegetables are tender. Drain excess grease from the pan.
Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker, and stir in tomato paste, water, and red pepper flakes. Cover, and cook at the low setting for at least four hours. I usually let it go for twelve. The longer it simmers, the spicier it gets! Spoon into torpedo rolls and serve.
Original recipe yield: Eight servings.
[Several of the reviews of this recipe recommend upping the amount of peppers, onions, and red pepper flakes—ed.]
—From AllRecipes.com Rosie Thibeault's French Canadian Dynamite In a large saucepan, sauté diced peppers, onions, and tomatoes in butter until soft. Add the water. Cook for a minute or two until the vegetables are blended. In same pot, add ground hamburger and cook until evenly browned and most of the water dissipates. Using a ladle, spoon off grease from top of the meat. A little bit left is fine but you do not want a lot. Then, add the tomato paste or homemade sauce and seasonings. The consistency should not be too loose or mushy. Add just enough paste to coat the meat. Sample the dynamite. You may want to add a bit more seasonings to desired taste. The dynamite will be stronger if left to mesh overnight, so keep this in mind when adding more seasonings. The dynamite must sit in the fridge (covered, in the same pot) for a day so that all of the spices blend. It tastes much better when this step is taken. The dynamite can be reheated in the same pot on the stove or on the side burner of a grill. Serve on torpedo rolls (see note 3). Note 1: You can use up to five pounds of meat without the need to double ingredients. Note 2: We also use 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or canola oil. Note 3: Calise Bakery or Li'l General Convenience Stores sell torpedo rolls. The dynamite recipe can also be used as a topping on hot dogs. Yield: Feeds a crowd. —from The Providence Journal, September 12, 2007. Therese Poisson's Woonsocket Dynamites
In a large stock pot, cook down pepper, onions, and celery. Add meat and tomato sauce. Stir and simmer until meat is thoroughly cooked. Add allspice, paprika, Worcestershire, red pepper, salt and pepper, and simmer. Serve on sub rolls. Makes at least twenty sandwiches. —from The Providence Journal, November 29, 2006.
