Robin: Picadillo is made in slightly different versions all over Latin America, and usually it consists of ground or minced meat cooked with onions, tomatoes, and perhaps other vegetables. It is seasoned a little differently depending on the cook’s location and inclination.
This particular version includes a variety of dried fruits and nuts that make it a picadillo especially rich in textures and flavors. I’ve named this version Celebration Picadillo because it is a bit more elaborate than an everyday picadillo, especially suited to special dishes such as the ultra festive Chiles en Nogada, prepared in Mexico for that country’s mid-September Independence Day observance. The combination of savory, sweet-with-a-hint-of-spices, tart, soft, crunchy, and chewy create a surprisingly sophisticated low-key “party in your mouth.”
Celebration Picadillo (Meat and Dried Fruits Hash)
A masterful combination of flavors and textures, this is the perfect filling for the peppers in the spectacularly festive Mexican dish Chiles en Nogada.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup pork, beef, or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 pound ground pork or half pork and half beef
- 1 medium-sized white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.25 pounds fresh,ripe tomatoes, peeled (or one 14.5-oz. can petite diced tomatoes)
- 1 medium-sized apple or pear diced
- ¼ cup raisins whole, or cut in half if they are very large
- ½ cup mixed dried fruit diced (prunes, apricots, figs, cranberries, etc.)
- ¼ cup pitted green olives diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A generous pinch of ground cinnamon
- A generous pinch of ground cloves
- A generous pinch of ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon white, apple, or wine vinegar
Instructions
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Heat the broth to the boiling point. Pour it into a small bowl with the almonds and pine nuts; set aside to soak while you work on the rest of the recipe.
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Sautee the ground meat with the onions and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until all the meat has turned brown. Stir it frequently with a wooden spoon or with the edge of a spatula to break up all the big and small clumps that form as the meat cooks. Drain off any excess fat.
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Blend half of the tomatoes into a puree; dice the other half. Add all the tomatoes to the meat mixture in the pan. Stir in the salt, cinnamon, clove, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
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Add the raisins, diced fruit, olives, and the almonds and pine nuts with their soaking broth. Stir in the vinegar. Allow everything to boil gently until all the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally so that the mixture does not stick to the pan.
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Remove the skillet from the burner and allow it to sit until it has cooled down enough to either comfortably work with (i.e., for stuffing peppers) or can be stored in the refrigerator.
Celebration Picadillo keeps well for up to a week in the fridge. Use it to make Chiles en Nogada (this recipe is enough for about 6 peppers), then take advantage of any leftovers to make empanadas or as a filling for an omelet.
Other versions of picadillo:
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