24 replies to this topic

[SimSportPlyr]

This is my first post here. I hope this is an appropaite post for this forum.

Yesterday, I made picadillo for the first time. I used this recipe:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/axrl8mr

I followed the recipe exactly and did not follow any of the "Other ways to serve..."

While I had not tasted picadillo before, I imagined something like a typical buritto filling, as served in a US Mexican restaurant, for example.

It came out sweeeter than I was expecting. My wife liked it a lot, but it seemed too sweet to me.

I realize that 'too sweet' is tricky to describe verbally, but I'd like to ask whether picadillo is supposed to be sweet.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[DiggingDogFarm]

Try Diana Kennedy's recipe.



~Martin

[Maria C. Ascarrunz]

Hi! I'm fairly new here too.

Picadillo is usually a sweet-ish dish, and i've typically had it served over rice (and I've made it that way as well). and I guess you could use tortillas on the side to scoop it up, but I have personally not had it as a burrito-type filling. if you were to use some of the optional flavorings - some chili peppers - the heat might offset some of the sweetness for you. if you like spicy, that is.

[Jason Perlow]

Are we talking about a Mexican-style Picadillo, or a Caribbean/Puerto Rican/Cuban/Latino style one? The two taste very different in my opinion.

I happen to be partial to Daisy Martinez's recipe, which is of the Caribbean variety.

http://www.youtube.c...&v=7haFCXG1sAk#!

It requires Achiote Oil and Sofrito to make, all of which you can find the recipes for on her website. You also need Alcaparrado, which is a Goya product of capers mixed with green olives with pimentos.

Edited by Jason Perlow, 03 January 2013 - 07:43 PM.

[SimSportPlyr]

Try Diana Kennedy's recipe.



~Martin

Martin, I found her recipe.

Is it better than the one that I referenced? Is it less sweet?

Thanks.

Edited by SimSportPlyr, 03 January 2013 - 07:54 PM.

[DiggingDogFarm]

Try Diana Kennedy's recipe.



~Martin

Martin, I found her recipe.

Is it better than the one that I referenced? Is it less sweet?

Thanks.

Yes, it should be less sweet. If it's still too sweet for you, cut back on the raisins a tad.
Out of several recipes I've tried, it was the favorite of the crew here at home.

~Martin

Edited by DiggingDogFarm, 03 January 2013 - 08:18 PM.

[SimSportPlyr]

Are we talking about a Mexican-style Picadillo, or a Caribbean/Puerto Rican/Cuban/Latino style one? The two taste very different in my opinion.

I happen to be partial to Daisy Martinez's recipe, which is of the Caribbean variety.

http://www.youtube.c...&v=7haFCXG1sAk#!

It requires Achiote Oil and Sofrito to make, all of which you can find the recipes for on her website. You also need Alcaparrado, which is a Goya product of capers mixed with green olives with pimentos.

Jason, the recipe I used is from a cookbook of New Mexico recipes, so I assume that I was making a southwestern picadillo, although I don't know much about these dishes.

I'll take a look at Daisy's recipe.

Thanks for the reply.

[Jaymes]

Here are three recipes I've used with considerable success. Which recipe I choose to make depends a great deal on how I want to use it, as well as how much time I have.

The classic Mexican way to use it is in the fabulous iconic Mexican dish, Chiles en Nogada, which is basically a chile relleno with a nut sauce. It's usually stuffed with picadillo. And picadillo is often the best choice for chiles rellenos, even without the nut sauce. It's certainly my very favorite stuffing, and I'll go pretty far out of my way to eat at a restaurant that offers a great one.

I also have very often served picadillo as a hearty dip - warm, in a chafing dish, with tortilla chips alongside.

Picadillo

1/4 C olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped, or other mild chile
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1/3 C mushrooms, sliced
1 C tomato sauce
2 oz tomato puree
1 t vinegar
1 T salt
1 /2 t cayenne
1 lb cooked ground beef
1/2 lb cooked pork, chopped
1/2 C dry white wine
1/3 C raisins
1/4 C chopped black olives
1/4 C chopped pecans

Saute onion, pepper, garlic and mushrooms briefly, until wilted. Add tomato sauce and puree. Allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add meat and cook for additional 5-8 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until liquid evaporates.



Picadillo Festivo -- "...one of those dishes that is great to prepare for a large group of people. Once assembled, it will keep until you are ready to serve. I prefer hot flour tortillas with it but very good sandwiches can be made with this filling. [she advises getting fresh French rolls, or bollilos, cutting off the top, digging out some of the bread and filling it with picadillo] ...add some fresh salsa, some shredded lettuce and some quacamole, replace top, squeeze to meld all the ingredients, and start eating..." -- Aida Gabilongo (Zarela's mother)

1 lb ground pork
1 lb lean ground beef
2 T lard
S&P to taste
2 white or yellow onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, mashed and chopped
3 med tomatoes, peeled & chopped
3 canned jalapenos in escabeche, seeded & sliced
1 t ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
1/2 t ground cloves
1/4 C slivered almonds
1 T sugar
1 T vinegar
1 C chicken broth (at the ready)

In large skilled, brown meats in lard until no longer pink. Add S&P. Add all remaining ingredients except broth and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. If the meat becomes dry and is sticking, add broth. Taste and correct seasonings. Aida adds that this is a good filling for burritos, and the "accepted filling for Chiles en Nogada," which is garnished with the nut sauce and pomegranate seeds.


Quick Picadillo

1 T lard
1 lb lean ground beef
2 T oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 potato, peeled & diced
1 ripe fresh tomato, chopped
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 t ground Mexican cinnamon (canela)
1/2 t ground cloves
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 C golden raisins
1/4 C sliced green olives stuffed with pimento
1/2 C water or chicken broth

In large skillet brown meat in lard just until no longer pink. Drain grease. In separate skilled, saute onion, potato, tomato and seasonings for about 5 minutes. Add to meat. Add all ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat 10 minutes, or until proper consistency. Add a little additional water or chicken broth if needed.

Serve as filling for burritos, or as a dip for parties, or main dish with veggies and a salad.

[SimSportPlyr]

Hi! I'm fairly new here too.

Picadillo is usually a sweet-ish dish, and i've typically had it served over rice (and I've made it that way as well). and I guess you could use tortillas on the side to scoop it up, but I have personally not had it as a burrito-type filling. if you were to use some of the optional flavorings - some chili peppers - the heat might offset some of the sweetness for you. if you like spicy, that is.

Maria, thank you for the reply. It seems that my picadillo may have been appropriately sweet.

[SimSportPlyr]

Jaymes, thank you very much for the recipes.

[Jaymes]

Hi! I'm fairly new here too.

Picadillo is usually a sweet-ish dish, and i've typically had it served over rice (and I've made it that way as well). and I guess you could use tortillas on the side to scoop it up, but I have personally not had it as a burrito-type filling. if you were to use some of the optional flavorings - some chili peppers - the heat might offset some of the sweetness for you. if you like spicy, that is.

Maria, thank you for the reply. It seems that my picadillo may have been appropriately sweet.

As I said, picadillo is very typically stuffed into a large, mild green pepper, like poblano. So when you bite into it, you get that additional pepper taste to counteract the sweet. I remember the first time I ever had a chile relleno in Mexico that was stuffed with picadillo, rather than the more typical US version that almost always has either cheese or ground beef. At first I was really startled with the bites of nuts, olives and raisins. It wasn't too long, though, before I began craving it. And I have since found several US "Mexican" restaurants that also serve it that way.

And, also as I said, Chiles en Nogada, an iconic Mexican dish that features the colors of the Mexican flag, because the chile is green, the nut sauce (the "nogada") is white, and then it's topped with pomegranite seeds for the red, most often contains picadillo as the stuffing.

So, if you're looking for recipes for Mexican "picadillo," and you don't like any you've found, try googling "Chiles in Nogada." You'll find various more recipes for that stuffing.

Photos:
https://www.google.c...iw=1161&bih=651

And here's a pretty typical recipe (although, of course, you can find thousands):
http://www.simplyrec...n_walnut_sauce/

[SimSportPlyr]

Jaymes, you make a great point about picadillo needing to be a bit sweet to compensate for other food its combined with. Next time I make picadillo, I plan to stuff it into bell peppers. I've never worked with whole green peppers (I have made green chile pork stew a few times), but that's an intriguing idea, too. I would like to give that a try.

I'll read your walnut sauce recipe link.

All of this info (recipes) is a bit overwhelming for a beginner like me., but I very much appreciate the feedback and ideas from all of you!

[Darienne]

I've been cooking Picadillo since before I began cooking. And long before I began cooking Mexican, although it was from a Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz, The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking, 1967. Why I bought that book, I have no idea.

And like me, expert or not, I ended up combining two of Ortiz's recipes, Picadillo and Picadillo de la Costa, and we called it Picadillo de la Cabana (OK. I know the code now, but I can't make it work...that's a tilde over the 'n') or Picadillo from Cavan which is where we live sort of in Ontario.

So my version has the raisins, and olives and almonds, plus the rest of the spices, etc, but also apples, pineapple, bananas (I never have pears on hand) and a large spoonful of cocoa. Not traditional in the least...don't tell the 'traditional chefs' on eG please...but we like it.

Now I've never stuffed it into a poblano (which we can now get in East Central Ontario) for the first time, but I have some on hand and will try it at once. And also make the walnut sauce. Thanks Jaymes, as always.

[SimSportPlyr]

Darienne, you've given me some great ideas! I'm always looking for excuses for including bananas in cooking, and I'm definitely going to try that. Apples and cocoa, too. Very interesting!!

[SimSportPlyr]

Jaymes, I checked out the links you provided, and the photos are an inspiration! What beautiful dishes!

Chiles en Nogada looks awesome! I'm going to make it.

Thanks again.

[DiggingDogFarm]

And here's a pretty typical recipe (although, of course, you can find thousands):
http://www.simplyrec...n_walnut_sauce/

Yep, there's that Diana Kennedy picadillo recipe again.

~Martin

[SimSportPlyr]

DigginDogFarm, that's the recipe that Jaymes referred me to. Apparently, it's a winner with y'all cognoscenti.

Thanks.

[Darienne]

Here's the Ortiz "de la Costa" recipe online. http://community.kin...om/node/2870

I don't know why it's on the King Arthur Flour site.

Edited by Darienne, 04 January 2013 - 03:10 PM.

[SimSportPlyr]

Thanks, Darienne.

Your link didn't work for me (that way your post appears, the " I" following the URL is interpreted as part of the URL), but I found the recipe at the same site by googling.

If I want the dish milder, should I use less Jalapeño or use a different type of chile?

[Darienne]

Went back on and fixed the URL. Sorry. My carelessness.

Certainly, just use less of the Jalapeño (wow! it worked that time) or a milder chile, like the poblano. Try it, you'll like it.

[SimSportPlyr]

Thanks, Darienne!

[Jaymes]

DigginDogFarm, that's the recipe that Jaymes referred me to. Apparently, it's a winner with y'all cognoscenti.

That's not a coincidence. Diana Kennedy is widely considered to be the top authority on Mexican cooking - certainly among norteamericanos - but she's also greatly respected in Mexico for the depth and breadth of her knowledge. Anyone seriously interested in learning about Mexican cuisine should own at least one of her several cookbooks, most of which have achieved legendary status. I, like many others, have all of them.

She's mentioned on quite a few threads here on eG and I think there's one devoted entirely to her.

[SimSportPlyr]

Thanks for the explanation, Jaymes. I appreciate it.

I'll think about buying one of her cookbooks once I have read through the three cookbooks I've bought over the past 2-3 weeks.

[Jaymes]

Thanks for the explanation, Jaymes. I appreciate it.

I'll think about buying one of her cookbooks once I have read through the three cookbooks I've bought over the past 2-3 weeks.

[DiggingDogFarm]

DigginDogFarm, that's the recipe that Jaymes referred me to. Apparently, it's a winner with y'all cognoscenti.

That's not a coincidence. Diana Kennedy is widely considered to be the top authority on Mexican cooking - certainly among norteamericanos - but she's also greatly respected in Mexico for the depth and breadth of her knowledge. Anyone seriously interested in learning about Mexican cuisine should own at least one of her several cookbooks, most of which have achieved legendary status. I, like many others, have all of them.

She's mentioned on quite a few threads here on eG and I think there's one devoted entirely to her.

I totally agree!


~Martin