Picadillo: One Easy Recipe = Two Great Meals

...
We have a rule at Chez SGCC: She who cooks, does not clean. Since I'm the only one who cooks around here, She is Me! And, since my daughter is in the midst of that twilight zone that is Teenagedom, she is indefinitely removed from the equation. (We're just thankful that she resurfaces for meals once in a while!) Unfortunately for him, this means that Mr. SGCC gets stuck with the dinner dishes most nights. He is a pretty good sport about it, though. (He takes out the garbage and irons his own shirts too!) I think he realizes that if I had to cook AND do all the dishes, the meals around here would be pretty sparse, indeed. In fact, you'd probably find a lot more take out containers in our trash bins.
,,
So, the other night, as I was watching Deal or No Deal and responding to comments on this blog, Mr. SGCC was dutifully loading the dishwasher. The only rub to this arrangement is that he only seems to manage to fit three things at a time in it, which means that I have to constantly get in there and reorganize. He also never wipes down the counters or puts things back in the fridge. (Hmmm. Maybe I don't have such a good thing going after all.)
..
..
At around 10:00, he very nicely asked me to fix him a bedtime snack. Being the sweet, wonderful wife that I am, I happily obliged. Well, not exactly happily, but I did oblige. I was on my way to the family room to bring it to him when............
..
CRASH! BAM! BOOM!........THUD.
..
The next thing I knew, cheese and crackers were flying through the air and I was flat on my back on the cold, wet and very hard tiled kitchen floor!
..
FUCK.
..
For a minute or two, time stood still. The first thing I was aware of was my poor husband's look of pure panic as he peered down over me. I imagined he was thinking, "Thank God this happened AFTER we had dinner!", or maybe "Oh shit! My cheese and crackers are all over the floor!". Just kidding. The poor guy was really concerned. He didn't know what to do. Neither did I. I was afraid to move for fear that something was broken. Surely, that searing pain running up and down my spine couldn't be good.
..
Mr. SGCC helped me up and over to the couch to survey the damage. The good news is that I didn't split my head open. It didn't look like anything was actually broken either. The bad news is, that while I was trying not to split my head open, I broke my fall by turning my shoulder and hip into it, and totally screwed them both up. The worst of it was my foot. When I slipped (in a
puddle of water left on the tile by "Mr. I Never Wipe Anything Up"), my foot got wrenched under the edge of a kitchen cabinet and was jammed in a position that no human foot should ever be subjected to. By the time I found an ice pack, that foot was already swollen to twice its normal size and had begun to turn a very lovely shade of eggplant.
...
This seriously sucked!
...
Needless to say, I spent most of the next day sitting on my ass, popping about a hundred Advil, with my foot propped up and bathed in ice. When dinner time rolled around, I was in no effing mood to cook. I had made a really great picadillo the night before and there were leftovers in the fridge, but the yellow rice that went along with it was gone. I hobbled over to the kitchen to see what else I could serve with that picadillo. I was definitely in need of some serious carb therapy, but I didn't want to just throw it on pasta. I didn't have any baking potatoes, so stuffed jacket potatoes were out. Then, I remembered. I had some pizza dough thawing in the refrigerator in my garage. I could slather that gorgeous picadillo on top and make Picadillo Pizza! Sure, it was unconventional, but then so am I. Besides, I wasn't about to hop in my car and make a grocery run in my condition during the five o'clock rush!
...
...
For those who don't know, picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries, made with ground meat, tomatoes, onions, peppers and various other regional vegetables, herbs and spices. It is kind of like a hash, but it's usually served with rice. The Cuban version is the one that I like to make, including olives, capers and raisins, and flavored with garlic, cumin and oregano. I also like to add slivered almonds and cinnamon to my picadillo. I had it that way once in a great little Cuban restaurant in Ybor City and loved it!
..
Picadillo is a simple dish to prepare and it really pops with lots of interesting flavors. Leaving it to sit overnight actually makes it better, so don't be chintzy with your ingredients. Make a lot of it so you have some leftovers to make this great pizza too.
..

...
Picadillo

2-3 tbsps olive oil
2 large onions, diced
1 green and 1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 packet Sazon Goya seasoning (I find this in the ethnic foods section at the supermarket.)
2 lbs ground beef (I like a mix of sirloin and chuck. You can use any kind of ground meat - even pork or turkey.)
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (I like the fire roasted kind)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup Manzanilla olives stuffed with pimiento, sliced
1 cup raisins
1 tbsp capers
1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions, peppers, garlic and Sabor seasoning and saute over medium heat until soft and tender, about 5-6 minutes.

Add beef and cook until no more pink remains.

Add wine and simmer until it has all been absorbed. Swirl in the tomato paste until it dissolves.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Cover and simmer on medioum-low heat for about 20 minutes.

Serve over rice or whatever you like.
...

Picadillo Pizza

Note: You can make your favorite pizza dough recipe for this. Since this is basically a quickie leftovers recipe, I used store bought dough. It worked great. You could make it even simpler by using english muffins, bagels or pitas. Also, don't worry about measuring the picadillo. Just use what you have.

1 ball of pizza dough
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups picadillo
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

If using a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Heat the leftover picadillo in the microwave until warm and stirable, about 2 minutes.

Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Brush with olive oil. Top with picadillo, leaving about a 1-inch border.

Slide pizza onto the pizza stone or a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake until crust is puffed up and golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!
...
If you enjoyed these recipes, you might also like:

.....
Here's what some other bloggers are doing with picadillo:
...
Pork Mango Picadillo from Simply Recipes
Pork Picadillo Empanadas from Nook & Pantry
Turkey Picadillo on Plantain Surfboards from We Heart Food
Filipino Picadillo from Gourmeted
Apple Turkey Picadillo from Culinary in the Country

Picadillo on Foodista

Comments

Manggy said…
OMG! I hope everything is ok and in working condition now (well, at least we know your typing fingers are!). It sounds like you had a sprain, too.

You certainly did get the raw end of the deal there. Here, we HANDWASH!! :p When I was at my cousin, she had a washing machine that drained itself and everything; and centrifuged the clothes to wring them. It was like magic to me. It seems like everything here is manual, even when it's a machine. Cooking is a lot of thinking and doing! (let's see how much guilt we can extract from your hubby)

The picadillo looks great, with rice or as the pizza :) I've never seen Sazon before though :)
Anonymous said…
I am so sorry you hurt yourself, but I am really grateful for this recipe. The pictures make this look like the most amazing thing. I just got back from lunch and they are making me hungry all over again.
Take care and make sure to pamper yourself.
Love, love, love picadillo!! so much of it in south florida... heaven on a plate. and after a siesta of course!
Ginny said…
I hope you are on the mend...here we have the same rule, my roommate and I have lived together for five years now and she is still always happy to clean if I make her dinner...I often call her my husband. The picadillo looks excellent!
Peter M said…
Back in grade school, sometimes a kd would fall off the chair, slip on ice or slip in mud. Usually, whoever saw the spill would ask with the best of intentions, "are you okay"?

After confirming that they weren't hurt, we'd burst into hysterical laughter.

I really didn't laugh this time'round.

The Picadillo sounds very exotic, even Morrocan with the raisins, cinnamon and cumin but hey...I'll eat it!
Susan, I hope you are feeling better by now! I have cracked a rib in the past by falling off the stairs in the office and that was not pretty. :S

Picadillo is something completely new to me but I can tell my husband would not be polite enough to have only one slice of that pizza!
This looks easy, tasty, and good for high volume cooking. I'll have to put this on big weekly recipe list. (I get tired of coming up with my own every week)
CookiePie said…
Hope you're feeling better! It's amazing to me that you can have such a bad accident and still make that gorgeous pizza :)
Yikes! I hope you're feeling better...that sounded quite painful :-/

I've never had picadillo before, but it sounds delicious. I also love the idea of a pizza version of it--both photos look mouthwatering.
Yikes, hope you are ok. And....are we married to the same man??? I think they were identical twins separated at birth. I definately know my hubbys first concern would have been the cheese & crackers (that is his fave) but he would have pretended he was concerned about me. Good ingenuity w/the pizza.
Hey, and watch that potty mouth o'yours....that is phuck w/a ph hehehehehehe. My eyes are burning, my eyes are burning!!!!!!!! Don't make me Hail Mary your sinning ass.
Amanda said…
Oh, MAN, I'm so sorry you fell--and hope you are back to dancing around the kitchen in no time!

Meanwhile... you read my mind with this post. A few days ago I bought some plantains on sale and am waiting for them to ripen. I've been daydreaming about what cuban delight I can whip up in my kitchen.

You sure know how to get a girl salivatin'.
Susan @ SGCC said…
Manggy- Typing is fine, walking - not so good.

It's amazing how much we take for granted. I have almost every modern convenience and it never even occurs to me that so many don't. I give you a lot of credit for accomplishing all you do!

Sazon is a Latin seasoning blend made by Goya. It comes in little packets and you can use it in soups, stews or pretty much anything.

Joanne- Thank you. I' glad you like the recipe. It's very versatile. You can add whatever you like.

Aran- I'm jealous! You have the most amazing Cuban restaurants down there.

Ginny- Thanks. I think that is a pretty fair rule. I also HATE to deal with the dishwasher! ;)

Peter- We did the same thing as kids. Of course, the bigger they are, the harder they fall! Lol!

You should try the picadillo. You can adapt it lots of different ways. I'll bet you could find a nice spin on it.

Patricia- Thanks. Unfortunately, the foot is even worse today.

My husband loves picadillo with rice and was complaining when I was making the pizza. Well, he ate 3 pieces!

Short(dis)Order Cook- It is a really easy dish to prepare. You can even freeze it. Why not make a whole bunch of it?

Cookiepie- Thanks. I was pretty pathetic, rolling out my dough while sitting at the kitchen table. Lol!

Thanks, Mike. It actually is more painful now!

If you've never had it, you need to try this dish. It's really delicious!

Obsessive- Hahahahaha! Thanks for making me laugh! I could definitely tell that my husband was bummed about the snack. Of course, HE was the one who left the water on the floor!

Hey! That "fuck" was the first thing that popped into my head as I hit the floor. I'm just keepin' it real. I'm sending you some Murine, though. And, I already said the Hail Mary's on the way down! ;)
RecipeGirl said…
omg! Poor you! Well, consider yourself lucky that your hubby cleans (abeit somewhat) as I get stuck with the whole shebam. I certainly hope that your foot is feeling better SOON! Don't go climbing on any kitchen counters... I fell off my kitchen counter once and promptly broke my elbow!

I tried a picadillo a few months ago that I was not at all impressed with. Yours looks like it might be better. Take care now!!
Oh man, I'm so glad you didn't break anything. That sounds scary and painful. Get thee to a chiropractor for that shoulder and hip!

Your picadillo pizza looks just perfect for a night when everything is tanking.
Gretchen Noelle said…
Oh-no! Sorry to hear about your spill! I hope you are feeling better soon. This picadillo sounds similar but not the same as a dish here. I wonder how the tastes compare? Hmm...
Chris said…
OMG! I read this with my mouth open wide. I am so sorry to hear about your fall! Feel better soon.

Your picadillo looks yummy! You're better than me! I would have had a dial-a-dinner!
test it comm said…
That picadillo looks so good!! I am definitely trying it with the olives next time. The picadillo pizza is a great idea.

I hope you feel better soon!
You know, the more I have thought about this incident......it could have been disastrous. Does your hubby realize that his lax attitude towards water safety in your kitchen could have produced inconsequential demons that could have caused a lapse in your blogging abilities or worse yet....you might not have been able to cook???? This is cause for great alarm. I hope that he realizes the vastness of this incident and is in repentance as we blog. tsk tsk tsk. Perhaps you should take out errors and ommissions insurance on him since he err'ed by leaving water on the floor and he ommitted your safety. I don't care if it makes sense or not....this could have had tragic results.
Patsyk said…
Oh, I hope you are feeling better, that sounds like quite a fall.

I have never had picadillo, but your recipe sounds wonderful so I may have to give it a try soon. I love that you made it into a pizza topping! Yum!
Hope you are doing good. I have to try this. Never ate it before.
Oh my, You poor thing! Hope your soon back on your feet!Although you could milk this for a while and have Hubby waiting on you hand and foot!
Rosie said…
ONG sorry to hear about your fall!! I hope you feeling much better now. Lovely dishes too

Rosie x
Susan @ SGCC said…
RecipeGirl- Ouch! I'll definitely stay off of the counters!

Do try this picadillo. It really is packed with flavor.

Lynn- Funny you should say that. My brother is a chiropractor. He is taking x-rays tomorrow.

Gretchen- I'd love your picadillo recipe! I'll bet is is great Peruvian-style.

Thanks, Chris. Trust me. If I hadn't had the leftover picadillo, I would have been dialing. My fingers are the only things that don't hurt!

Kevin- Thanks! You need the raisins and almonds too. They are great together! ;)

Obsessive- Lol! Don't worry, I'm milking it for all it's worth. I'm expecting jewelry any day now. ;)

Thanks, Patsy. It was a pretty nasty fall. My foot still looks like a football. :(

Do try the recipe. If you like Latin food, you will love this.

Helene- Thanks. Let me know if you try it, especially if you like it. ;)

Maria- Thanks. As I mentioned above, I am definitely milking this. I see something sparkly in my future. ;)

Rosie- Thanks. I appreciate the good wishes. :)
Cakelaw said…
Ow Susan! So sorry to hear about your fall, and I hope that you mend soon. This picadillo looks delicious - very filling and flavoursome.
Jescel said…
hmnnn.. this made my mouth water. I'm going to try your recipe and let you know hot it came out.. :o)
Allen said…
Wow - what a story! I hope you've made a full recovery :-) The picadillo looks incredible and I love the idea of picadillo pizza!

Popular Posts