Picadillo

Ingredients

Vegetable

• 600 gchayote, green beans, or arracacha, cut into 5 mm dice
• or 600 g potato and carrot, diced

Meat

• 300 gminced beef or pork, optional

Sofrito

• 3 tbspoil
• 1onion, finely diced
• 1red pepper, finely diced
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 3spring onions
• 2 tbspchopped culantro or coriander
• 1tomato, finely diced

Seasoning

• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspachiote or paprika
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1stock cube
• salt and black pepper

To serve

• warm corn tortillas
• rice and beans
• a spoonful of Lizano sauce

Directions

1. Cut everything into a small even dice of about 5 mm. Picadillo is scooped into a tortilla and eaten by hand, so nothing should need cutting on the plate.
2. Cook the mince properly dry rather than grey, because that browning is most of what the meat contributes.
3. Heat the oil and cook the onion and pepper slowly for 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, spring onion, culantro and diced tomato and cook 5 minutes.
4. Add the achiote, cumin and oregano and cook a minute. Add a splash of water, cover, and cook on a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Cook it covered with very little liquid so the vegetables steam in their own moisture rather than boiling.
6. Stir it now and then and add water only if it catches. It should end up moist but not wet, and it must be dry enough to hold in a tortilla without soaking through.
7. Season with salt, pepper and the stock cube and taste. Stir in more fresh culantro at the end. Serve warm with corn tortillas, spooned into them and folded, and eaten by hand.

Technique

• Chayote picadillo is the most common and arracacha the most prized.
• It reheats well and is often made in quantity.
• Vegetarian versions with no meat at all are entirely ordinary.

Substitutions

• Any firm vegetable or tuber, diced small.
• Coriander in place of culantro, using rather more.

Variations

• Picadillo de papa, made with potato.
• Picadillo de arracacha, which is sweeter and softer.
• Made without meat, as a Lenten or everyday dish.

History

Finely chopped vegetables or tubers sauteed with meat and eaten in tortillas, a thrift dish of Central Valley kitchens.

Frequently asked questions

What is Picadillo?

Picadillo is a salad & side from Costa Rica: minced vegetable-and-meat hash scooped up with tortillas. Finely chopped vegetables or tubers sauteed with meat and eaten in tortillas, a thrift dish of Central Valley kitchens.

How long does Picadillo take to make?

Picadillo takes 30 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Picadillo?

Yes, within limits. Any firm vegetable or tuber, diced small. Coriander in place of culantro, using rather more.

What is the most important thing to get right in Picadillo?

Cook the mince properly dry rather than grey, because that browning is most of what the meat contributes.