A Small Picadillo

Memory is funny; today’s light snow triggered memories of a special meal many (40+) years ago. A rare snowfall, a quiet day, several bottles of wine, some pleasant company, and the need for some comfort food.

I’ve spent the day glued to my workstation, preparing for yet another exam and keeping tabs on my shop, so perhaps I should get out of my chair, out of my office, and go annoy Madam Badwolf in the kitchen.

But on to what this dish is: A minced meat hash cooked in a sofrito, with the addition of olives, capers, raisins, and in the meal of my memory, chunks of tart apple and potato. I’ll cook this one-pot dish in my cast iron skillet to control the heat and allow the sofrito to simmer gently to bring out the innate sweetness of the veggies.

Once prepared, I’ll side with rice, beans, and flatbreads (tortillas, naan, or pita). (Yes, I am abusing many cultures again in one sitting.) Any leftovers can be used as a taco filling, stuffing for savory bread, or wrapped in dough to be either baked or fried as empanadas.

Whilst I have specified beef here, minced chicken, turkey, or pork can be used as the protein.

From Wikipedia:

Picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries and the Philippines. It is made with ground meat (most commonly beef), tomatoes (tomato sauce may be used as a substitute), and also raisins, olives, and other ingredients that vary by region. It is often served with rice (hence it is commonly known in the Philippines as arroz a la cubana, “Cuban-style rice”) or used as a filling in dishes such as tacos, savory pastries or croquettes. The name comes from the Spanish word picar, meaning “to mince”.

Picadillo

Picadillo is classic Latin food, made from minced beef and a flavorful combination of olives, capers, apples, and raisins.

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Prep Time 14 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 44 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Stew

Cuisine Cajun, Caribbean, Creole, Latin

Servings 4

Calories 317 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tbsp olive oil Decent Stuff, Not top shelf
• 1 ea Onion Peeled, Minced
• 1 ea Red Bell Pepper Washed, Seeded, Minced
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 3 cloves Garlic Peeled, Minced
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds Toasted, Ground
• 1 tsp Oregano Dried
• 1 ea Bay Leaf
• 1/2 cup White Wine Dry Please
• 1 lb Minced Beef See https://www.roguechef.com/?p=3888
• 1/2 cup Diced Tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
• 1/4 cup Raisins
• 1/4 cup Stuffed Olives I use Jalapeno stuffed here
• 1 tbsp Olive Brine
• 1 tbsp Capers
• 1 ea Red Potato Large, peeled, cut to 1/4" Cube
• 1 ea Cooking Apple Large, peeled, cut to 1/4" Cube
• Salt and Pepper To Taste

Instructions

 

• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
• Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and bay leaves
• Cook until fragrant and tomato paste darkens in color, about 2 minutes.
• Add wine and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Add meat and cook, stirring and breaking up chunks, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, raisins, olives, capers, brine, apple and potatoe.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until potato and apple are tender, about 12 minutes.
• Taste, Season and balance flavor. Discard the bay leaves
• Serve with rice, beans and flat bread.

Notes

The sofrito we create in the first few steps is the backbone of this dish; take the time to simmer the vegetables, allowing them to sweat rather than crisp and color.

What makes this dish outstanding is the mixture of briny olives and capers, which match the sweetness of the raisins and apples.

This dish blends various textures and flavors, like concentrated saltiness and plump sweetness, and the starch of the potatoes.

As spoken in a previous rant:

A note on Ground Beef:

I prefer to make my ground beef.

• Cube your portion of dead cow into 3/4 – 1″ chunks
• Spread onto a sheet pan and freeze for 30 minutes
• Grind up in either a grinder or a food processor

This allows me to control the amount of fat and the quality of the beef.

 Yes, most store-bought ground beef is produced from high-quality trimmings, etc.  

Nutrition

Calories: 317kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 24gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 452mgPotassium: 656mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 163IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Beef, Braised, Stew

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!