We will all be living our lives normally again very soon and of that I am certain. Of course, life as we knew it before these pivotal days, will resume. It will be business as usual. But for now we get a rare opportunity to spend more time with our families, appreciate and cherish them. Cooking and baking at this watershed moment is the perfect chance to show our devotion to our loved ones. Coupled with that is the advantage that staying busy will keep our otherwise overactive minds engaged! Enter this Easy and Versatile Mexican Picadillo!
Today’s dish is very traditional in Mexican cuisine. I would go as a far as to say that Picadillo can also be spelled “versatility”. Picadillo can be eaten with tortillas, tostadas or tortilla chips, but it is the star ingredient of many other dishes too. Save this recipe because we will undoubtedly be using it again in the future.
You ask, “what exactly is Picadillo”? The word “Picadillo” translates to “mince meat”. Before meat grinders existed the meat was actually minced to very small bits by cutting it with a knife. Thus the name (picadillo, from picar = chop, mince).
People of old had a lot of time in their hands; sort of like, ahem, ahem, we do now, albeit briefly. We are tasting a more tranquil lifestyle. Might as well enjoy it!
Again, Picadillo is a staple component for other more elaborate recipes. A tantalizing instance of these are Chiles en Nogada. This, nevertheless, is the basic, every day recipe and the one you would enjoy frequently in a Mexican household.
Easy and Versatile Mexican Picadillo wears many hats. I have these delightful suggestions for you to eat more of it: use as nacho topping, stuff baked potatos with it and top them with sour cream, cheese and your favorite salsa or make crispy and crunchy taquitos. The sky is the limit!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that you can impart a deeper flavor to your Picadillo. Just use half ground pork and half ground beef. Make it healthier by using half ground turkey with half ground beef or pork. I told you it’s versatile!
Ingredients
- 1 lbs. lean ground beef (or combined pork and beef, or turkey)
- 5 ripe tomatoes (one of them diced)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 1 chopped jalapeno (seeds and veins removed)
- 1 diced potato
- 1 diced carrot
- 1 cup of fresh, canned or frozen peas
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup of water
- Salt and ground pepper (or some peppercorns) to taste
Instructions
- Brown the meat in a large skillet on medium heat. Crumble it into smaller bits as you brown it.
- Add the chopped chile and onion to the meat and cook until onion has softened.
- Puree four tomatoes, garlic cloves, salt and pepper in blender until smooth. Strain sauce into the skillet, add the diced potato, the diced tomato, diced carrot and the peas.
- Cook until froth is gone and a subtle color change occurs. Add the bay leaf and the cup of water and simmer on low heat until meat is fully cooked and veggies are still crunchy but cooked (15 – 20 minutes).
- Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving. Enjoy on tostadas topped with your favorite salsa, as taco filling or with rice and beans.
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