Party Picadillo

By Florence Fabricant

Party Picadillo
Phil Kline for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(111)
Comments
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With some Douros as cheap as a pizza, and just as bold, I'd think of them as party wines, to serve to a crowd fortified with big sandwiches, wings and meaty casseroles. Even at the high end, most are not wines to contemplate but to quaff with slabs of seared red meat. But if you choose budget bottles, here's a dish that will not break the bank, either. Well-seasoned picadillo, a versatile, richly seasoned ground-meat dish from Latin America, is typically served with rice and beans, but it can also be ladled over pasta, used to fill tortillas or sloppy Joes or baked in a casserole with a potato topping. Since it will be in the company of bland carbs, you can spice it generously. The wines won't balk at that.

Featured in: Wines of The Times: One Sip Says Portugal

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Ingredients

Yield:10 to 12 servings
  • 3pounds lean ground beef
  • 1cup dry red wine
  • ¼cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2cups chopped red onion
  • 2cups chopped green bell peppers
  • 2jalapeños, seeded and minced
  • 4large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1cup pitted brine-cured black olives, sliced
  • 1cup raisins
  • 1tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½cup tomato paste
  • Salt
  • Cayenne pepper, to taste
  • ½cup toasted slivered blanched almonds
  • Rice and beans, pasta or tortillas for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

483 calories; 32 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 594 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a bowl, break up the meat with a fork, mix it with the wine and set aside. Heat oil in a large pan over low heat. Add onions, peppers, jalapeños and garlic and sauté until tender and barely beginning to brown. Stir in olives and raisins.

  2. Step 2

    Increase heat to medium. Add meat and any liquid, and cook, breaking up meat with a fork, until it loses its color and is uniformly crumbly, about 10 minutes. Stir in oregano, cumin, tomato paste, and salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Cover and cook on low 30 minutes. Dish can be prepared in advance to this point and reheated later. It should be moist, so it might need a little water added. Top with almonds, serve with rice and beans, pasta or tortillas.

Ratings

4 out of 5
111 user ratings
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Comments

ritariv

I made this recipe because my mom cooks from memory and can’t give me a recipe! It came out great, almost like hers. However I can’t stand eating olives, crazy right? But it needed that tang from the olives so I poured in some brine from a jar of pickles!!! It worked! I also added homemade soffits, sazón seasoning, and a couple bay leaves. Omitted the almonds. I know people get annoyed when you add to a recipe but I needed to add the flavors from my mom that were not in the recipe.

Kiesy

This is a wonderful rendition of Picadillo, and eminently adaptable. My 12 inch skillet probably isn't the right pan for 3 lbs of beef. SoI used 1 lb beef, 1 large red onion, 2 red peppers, currents instead of raisins, and whole Kalamata olives. Spiced it up a bit more with unseeded jalapenos. Flavors are even better a day or so later.

Julia Hanigsberg

Delicious recipe, easy to throw together on a weeknight with ingredients you probably have on hand. Added canned black beans to stretch it out and served with quinoa.

Doug W.

Delicious! And apparently forgiving. I didn’t have a red wine on hand for this, so improvised with chicken stock and some Frank’s hot sauce. Still so good!

ritariv

I made this recipe because my mom cooks from memory and can’t give me a recipe! It came out great, almost like hers. However I can’t stand eating olives, crazy right? But it needed that tang from the olives so I poured in some brine from a jar of pickles!!! It worked! I also added homemade soffits, sazón seasoning, and a couple bay leaves. Omitted the almonds. I know people get annoyed when you add to a recipe but I needed to add the flavors from my mom that were not in the recipe.

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