Pan-Latin Picadillo
It’s time to spice up your dinner routine and I’ve got the perfect recipe to turn up the heat. It’s a traditional Latin American dish called, “Picadillo.” Although there are many variations of Picadillo depending on the country the recipe is coming from, in general it is comprised of ground meat and a mix of local vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and onions. To accompany the Picadillo, I wanted to prepare tostones – fried plantains – but in order to make them a little more healthy, I decided to bake them instead of fry. Once baked, they came out crispy and full of flavor. I highly recommended this method. Once everything was prepared and smells of fresh and fiery Latin American flavors filled the kitchen, I served the delicious blend of ground pork and veal over crispy baked plantains, or tostones, and a homemade smooth salsa, bursting with fragrant cilantro, tomatoes, onions and jalapeño.
Pan-Latin Picadillo
Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse
Ingredients
Main
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 pound ground veal
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and stemmed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 cup dates (or currents, as desired)
4 teaspoons chopped green olives
1 cup water
Fresh Salsa
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/4 small onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and stemmed
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Baked Tostones
2 green plantains
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp Salt
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over high heat. Combine the ground pork, ground veal, cumin, cinnamon, salt, oregano, crushed red pepper, and allspice, and cook, using a spoon to break up any clumps, until the meat is golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, dates, and olives, and stir to thoroughly combine. Stir in the water and reduce the heat to medium.
Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is very thick and the flavors have come together, about 15 minutes. Serve the meat with Tostones and Fresh Salsa, recipes follow, if desired.
Fresh Salsa:
Combine the cilantro leaves, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Serve as topping.
Baked Tostones:
Preheat oven to 400°. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
Peel plantains and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Place in a bowl and toss with oil and salt. Arrange slices on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
Using a tostonera (or bottom of a flat glass with a piece of brown paper in between) mash each piece. Place mashed plantain, golden brown side up, on the baking sheet and bake for another 15 minutes until crispy.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ pound ground pork
- ¼ pound ground veal
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- ½ jalapeno, seeded and stemmed
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons light brown sugar
- ¼ cup dates (or currents, as desired)
- 4 teaspoons chopped green olives
- 1 cup water
- Heat the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over high heat. Combine the ground pork, ground veal, cumin, cinnamon, salt, oregano, crushed red pepper, and allspice, and cook, using a spoon to break up any clumps, until the meat is golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, dates, and olives, and stir to thoroughly combine.
- Stir in the water and reduce the heat to medium.
- Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is very thick and the flavors have come together, about 15 minutes.
- Serve the meat with Tostones and Fresh Salsa, if desired.
