Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
2 lb ground beef, lean
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup almonds, slivered
1 jalapeno chili, seeded and chopped, (or more to taste)
1/2 cup raisins (soaked 10 minutes in warm, water)
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed olives, halved cros, swise
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 salt
1 pepper
1 tbsp butter
Directions
Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add the beef and saute until
it is lightly browned, stirring to break up any lumps. Add the onion
and garlic and saute for 5 minutes longer. Add all the remaining
ingredients except the butter and the almonds. Mix well and simmer,
uncovered, over moderate heat, stirring from time to time, for 20
minutes.
In a small skillet, heat the butter and saute the almonds until they
are golden brown.
Mound the beef onto a serving platter and sprinkle with the almonds.
Surround it with a border of rice.
NOTES:
* Latin-American seasoned chopped beef -- I got this recipe from
net.cooks in the fall of 1983. It was posted by houxm!houxz!llf.
* Picadillo is a great favorite throughout Latin America, and every
country has its own version. In Mexico it is much appreciated as a
filling for tacos, empanadas, tamales and green peppers. In the north
of the country it is popular on its own and is eaten as a main dish,
accompanied by rice, beans, guacamole and tortillas.
* Variations: Instead of oregano and thyme, use a pinch or two of
cinnamon and ground cloves. This makes an interesting difference in
flavor, giving the dish an almost Middle Eastern taste.
* In Chihuahua, the apple is left out and 4 medium potatoes, cooked
and cubed, and about 2 C cooked green peas are added to the beef at
the end of the cooking time for just long enough to heat them
through. This makes a nice one-dish meal.
* Picadillo de la Costa from the state of Guerrero, best known for
the beach resort of Acapulco, uses the tropical fruits in which the
region abounds, and instead of beef uses an equal mixture of ground
pork and veal. The method is the same but the meats, with the onion,
garlic, tomatoes, hot peppers, salt and pepper, are cooked,
uncovered, for 15 minutes. Then add about 1 1/2 C pineapple chunks, 2
pears (peeled, cored and cut in chunks) and 2 bananas (peeled and
sliced) are added and the mixture simmered for 15 minutes longer over
low heat. Sprinkle with almonds just before serving. This is a
delicious summer dish, good with plain rice.
* In addition to the almonds, I add fresh coriander leaves as a
garnish.
: Difficulty: easy.
: Time: 20 minutes preparation.
: Precision: approximate measurement OK.
: Nancy Mintz
: UNIX System Development Lab, AT&T-IS, Summit, NJ
: ihnp4!attunix!nlm
: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
Servings: 6 servings
Picadillo Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Mexican; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Transcribed cooking instructions as an idea can be found back into the distant past, certainly as far into history as the ancient Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. However, generally, these ancient cook books were just primitive pictorial instructions for food preparation.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe discovered, according to academics is a collection of ancient tablets in ancient Sumerian which recount the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel `wonderful`. As we move into The time of the roman empire 25BC a roman called Apicius created some scripts describing recipes cooked by wealthy roman citizens. In his works, Apicius recounts how the roman meals were divided into starters, entrees and dessert, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Additionally, he tells us how the chefs of Roman times were skilled in the use of a good variety of aromatic flavors, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs for example thyme, fennel and dill. Over the next few centuries, the powerful and rich competed with each other to lay on the most exotic meals, and consequentially chefs and their recipes were at a premium. Nevertheless, it was during the 1800s that fine cookery and recipe publications rose to prominence. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, spent years to collecting, trying out, and publishing recipes common in their social group. By the arrival of the twentieth century, cookbooks are in high demand, mostly as a result of better eduction, leisure time and having more disposable income. The introduction of television gave us cooking programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everyone to access massive numbers of recipes such as those found on sites such as this. |
We hope you enjoy this Picadillo recipe.
