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+ servings

Picadillo

Picadillo is classic Latin food, made from minced beef and a flavorful combination of olives, capers, apples, and raisins.
Prep Time 14 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 44 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Stew
Cuisine Cajun, Caribbean, Creole, Latin
Servings 4
Calories 317 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 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!