Walnut Picadillo

Name: Walnut Picadillo
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings (about 5 cups)
Cuisine: latin american
Ingredients: 3 cups/9 ounces raw walnuts, minced in food processor until finely chopped; ½ cup tomato sauce; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 tablespoon liquid aminos, soy sauce or tamari; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon smoked paprika; 1 tablespoon raw turbinado or brown sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal); 1/3 cup neutral cooking oil (such as grapeseed); 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped; 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped; 1 medium serrano chile, seeded and minced; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ⅓-inch dice; ¼ cup light beer (optional), such as a Mexican lager; 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, strained; ¼ cup chopped pitted green olives; 1 tablespoon capers; Cooked rice and tortillas, for serving

By Jocelyn Ramirez

Updated May 23, 2022

Walnut Picadillo — Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Frances Boswell.

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(531)
Comments: Read comments

Picadillo is a dish that spans Latin American and Filipino food cultures with ingredients that vary from country to region. It’s a simple dish that highlights ground meat with bold flavors from tomato, onion, garlic, olives and capers, and is often paired with starches like potatoes and rice for a filling main dish, or even a taco filling. In this plant-based version, ground walnuts take on a meaty texture that absorbs all the bold flavors of a picadillo. Using a food processor is the best — and fastest — way to make sure the walnuts are evenly minced.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings (about 5 cups)

3cups/9 ounces raw walnuts, minced in food processor until finely chopped
½ cup tomato sauce
1tablespoon tomato paste
1tablespoon liquid aminos, soy sauce or tamari
1tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1tablespoon smoked paprika
1tablespoon raw turbinado or brown sugar
1teaspoon ground cumin
1½ to 2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
⅓cup neutral cooking oil (such as grapeseed)
½medium yellow onion, chopped
1medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1medium serrano chile, seeded and minced
3garlic cloves, minced
1pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ⅓-inch dice
¼ cup light beer (optional), such as a Mexican lager
1(14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, strained
¼ cup chopped pitted green olives
1tablespoon capers
Cooked rice and tortillas, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Add the walnuts to a medium bowl with the tomato sauce, tomato paste, liquid aminos, vinegar, paprika, sugar, cumin and salt. Mix until fully combined; set aside.
Step 2
Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent and the peppers are soft.
Step 3
Add the serrano chile and garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes.
Step 4
Add the potatoes to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes soften slightly, 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 5
Add the walnut mixture and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture lightly browns.
Step 6
Add the beer (if using), tomatoes, olives and capers, and allow to simmer for at least 15 minutes to let the ingredients meld together, stirring frequently.
Step 7
Serve over rice with corn tortillas.

Ratings

4 out of 5

531 user ratings

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Comments

Maggie3 years ago

I made it using mushrooms rather than potatoes-it turned out great. I added the mushrooms at the point that the recipe says to add the potatoes. I sautéed the veggies without oil a non-stick pan, adding a tablespoon of water at a time when the veggies start to stick to the pan. The walnuts make the dish plenty rich; no need to add 1/3 cup of oil.

Sarah3 years ago

Ground chickpeas from the can make a nice substitute----don't let them become paste. Just chop until you have a nice ground-beef type of consistency. I use it all the time in my vegan bolognese. Delicious.

Susan3 years ago

Sounds delicious. Ground walnuts make a great substitute for meat - I've done tacos and chili, so I think I'll try this, too! Thanks.

S2 weeks ago

Potatoes seem a bit of a waste here. I added extra aminos to keep it gluten free and used half chickpea half mushroom in place of the potatoes to add a tiny bit of protein. You could probably also throw in some TVP. I used a few extra green olives and wonder if the capers are necessary? I’ll try with capers next time

Emily2 weeks ago

This was good! I had friends over for dinner and this was our main course. I like the idea of water instead of oil, with the richness of the walnuts. Especially nice with homemade tortilas.

Cook a Weil1 month ago

I would parboil the potatoes in the future. As others have mentioned they took much longer and I had to keep adding water to avoid burning. I felt it lost some of its flavor along the way and looks much darker than the picture.

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