11 May 2012

Picadillo

It was an impressive and somewhat strange set of ingredients that I found in front of me yesterday when I got all set up and ready to make the Picadillo from Thomasina Miers' Mexican Food Made Simple...

I think what really threw it for me was the banana and raisins...the apple would go with pork mince anyway...but a banana??


I remember watching Thomasina Miers make this on her channel 5 tv show...last year I guess...and was suitably intrigued by and (to be honest) a wee bit sceptical of this dish...I mean who would put beef, pork, spices, chilli, an apple, a banana and raisins into the melting pot and then eat it!!??!!?? Well I did yesterday...and now it all becomes clear to me...


A Picadillo is a stew of sorts, a slow cooked dish, from Latin America, that has many variants depending on the region or country you look at, but essentially they all use minced meat of some kind, tomatoes and spices...the rest...well as far as I can tell, that is region and taste specific...they can be eaten in a variety of ways, including as a filling for burritos, tacos, stuffed peppers, jacket potatoes or with rice and beans...we will be eating ours as part of a larger meal shared with friends this weekend...which will include: Guacamole and chips, Salsa, Frijoles, Green Rice, Chicken Tinga and this Picadillo...(the other recipes will get the links added as I post them)...Back to this recipe...just look at the ingredients...


*Beef mince - 250g
*Pork mince - 250g
*Cinnamon, ground - 1/2tsp
*Cumin, ground - 1/2tsp
*Cloves, ground - 1/2tsp (I didn't read that it was ground cloves! So ground my own in the pestle and mortar!)
*Oregano or Thyme, fresh - a small handful (I used fresh thyme as it was also needed for the frijoles)
*Green Olives, stuffed with pimento, roughly chopped - 50g
*Raisins - 70g
*Apple, diced finely - 1
*Banana, diced finely - 1
*Chicken or Beef Stock - 250ml
*Slivered Almonds, toasted - 60g
*Chipotles en adobo - 1tsp (I used a chipotle chilli paste)
*Salt and Pepper
*Olive Oil - 2Tbsp


But then there is the rest...for the Roast Tomato Sauce...
*Plum tomatoes - 7
*Onion, chopped - 1
*Jalapenos - 2-3 (I couldn't get fresh jalapenos, so used 2 green chillies instead)
*Garlic - 2 cloves
*Olive oil - 2Tbsp
*Salt and Pepper


It realIy does seem a bit daunting...but if you look again, you are likely to have most if not all of the spices...the fruit...and then it only really leaves meat, chillies and tomatoes to get...so go on have a go...you might be surprised...I was...


You start off with making the roast tomato sauce...quite simple, just a bit fiddly...but don't let it put you off...keep reading...
Get yourself a decent sized, heavy bottomed pan and put the tomatoes, garlic, chillies and onions in it...no oil, we're dry roasting them...put the heat up fairly high, the aim is to blacken and char the skins...
...after a while everything starts to roast and the skins go black...you will need to take the garlic, chillies and onions out before the tomatoes, but you do need them all to soften well...
When it's all done, you need to let it cool slightly (don't want burnt fingers!!) and peel all the skins off...
Just look at the colour!! So fresh and vibrant!
Into the whizzzzer it goes...and whizzzzz away...not too fine, but you don't want massive chunks either!!
I stuck my finger in and tasted...Mmm mmm mmm...
To finish it off, put the olive oil into a pan (I cleaned my large one out and re-used it), heat up and fry off the pureed sauce...keep it high for a couple of minutes, stirring all the while, then turn down to a low simmer...you need to keep your eye on it and stir from time to time...about 12-15 minutes...
It will reduce down to this wonderful smoky, spicy, fragrant tomato sauce...I tasted again, seasoned and popped to one side...

Then you're ready for step 2, the meaty bit...
 The first thing you do is brown off the mince...I put both in a bowl and mixed them by hand before seasoning and frying in the pan...I didn't use the olive oil, as with it being pork mince, I figured there was enough fat in there plus my Le Crueset doesn't need fat most of the time...so brown the mince... 
 Then add the olives, raisins, spices and thyme...
 ...mix it up and...
 ...add the apple, banana and chilli paste or Chipotle en adobo...
 ...another good stir to combine...cook for about 5 minutes...
 ...and add in the Roast Tomato Sauce you made earlier...
...stir...again...and turn the heat down low...simmer very gently for about 30-40minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated...Picadillo is meant to be a dry-ish dish...taste, season and serve...

You are meant to serve it sprinkled with the toasted slivered almonds...but I made mine 2 days before it was needed...as it keeps well in the fridge, and like many spiced dishes the time adds to the mellowness of the final taste...will add pictures after the weekend to show how we served it...but for now let me assure you, I tasted and didn't want to stop tasting!!! The fruit adds a sweetness, the chilli the heat, the spices a mellowness...the tomato sauce is fabulous, and I think I will make it again to add to other dishes...I am really surprised by this dish...and I hope my guests will be too...I will have to wait until tomorrow night to see...for now though the Picadillo sits absorbing it's wonderful flavours in the fridge!!

1 comment:

  1. Wow, this is such a tasty dish! I have never seen it before. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    ReplyDelete

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