Mexican Picadillo

It was not too long ago when I started to think of a vacation we took years ago to South Carolina. It was a great family trip, and even cousins from the west coast decided to join us as well. Let me just say we had a great time, especially at dinner time when everyone would rotate cooking responsibilities. My night was a feast of Mexican chimichangas, guacamole, rice, beans, and a salad. It was good. But one quick dish stood out on morning, being made from our cousin Marlon, and that was his take on Filipino torta. I loved it so much I made it when I returned home. It was that torta however that made me realize that not only do Filipinos make this dish, but a lot of Latin cultures do the same, but slightly different. The Latin take is called picadillo, and basically refers to ‘minced’.

The great thing about this dish is for one that it uses up a lot of things you most likely have in your pantry or refrigerator, and furthermore, it has this great sweet taste to it that it can be served with rice, or stuffed into enchiladas, tacos, or heck, even empanadas.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lbs ground chuck, cooked and drained
• 1 whole medium onion, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup of green olives, chopped
• 2 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano, crumbled
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp your favorite hot sauce
• 1 serrano chili, thinly sliced
• Cooked rice, optional
• 1 thin omelet, optional

Start by preparing all of your ingredients.

Add the oil to a large dutch oven, or deep skillet as this will all be cooked in one pot. Bring the oil up to medium heat.

Toss in the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook for about 7 minutes.

Add in the ground chuck, and start breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Raise the temperature to about a medium high, and cook the meat until it begins to brown.

Add the lid to the top, with just a slight opening, and pour out the fat. Return the dutch oven back to the heat, and toss in the tomato paste. Give a good stir to cook the tomato paste, about 4 minutes or so.

Add in the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, hot sauce, and worchestershire sauce, and give that a good stir. Let this come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Add in the olives, capers, and bay leaves. Give another good stir. Cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes to let all of the flavors meld together.

You are ready to plate.

Again, the Mexican picadillo can be served in a variety of ways. I served mine on a very thin omelet, on a bed of rice, and served with some sliced serrano chili peppers.

The end result is comfort. It’s got this sweetness to it that keeps you wanting more. Then comes the olives and brininess from the capers that is just perfectly balanced.  If you are looking for a one pot meal, that serves a bunch of people, give this one a shot.

Mexican Picadillo

Dax Phillips

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lbs ground chuck cooked and drained
• 1 whole medium onion finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 5 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup of green olives chopped
• 2 tbsp capers roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano crumbled
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp your favorite hot sauce
• 1 serrano chili thinly sliced
• Cooked rice optional
• 1 thin omelet optional

Instructions

 

• Start by preparing all of your ingredients.
• Add the oil to a large dutch oven, or deep skillet as this will all be cooked in one pot. Bring the oil up to medium heat.
• Toss in the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook for about 7 minutes.
• Add in the ground chuck, and start breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Raise the temperature to about a medium high, and cook the meat until it begins to brown.
• Add the lid to the top, with just a slight opening, and pour out the fat. Return the dutch oven back to the heat, and toss in the tomato paste. Give a good stir to cook the tomato paste, about 4 minutes or so.
• Add in the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, hot sauce, and worchestershire sauce, and give that a good stir. Let this come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Add in the olives, capers, raisins, and bay leaves. Give another good stir. Cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes to let all of the flavors meld together.
• You are ready to plate.
• Again, the Mexican picadillo can be served in a variety of ways. I served mine on a very thin omelet, on a bed of rice, and served with some sliced serrano chili peppers.
• The end result is comfort. It's got this sweetness to it that keeps you wanting more. Then comes the olives and brininess from the capers that is just perfectly balanced. If you are looking for a one pot meal, that serves a bunch of people, give this one a shot.