How to Prepare Appetizing Puerto Rican Picadillo

Puerto Rican Picadillo. Authentic Puerto Rican Picadillo The picadillo meat is used in various Puerto Rican recipes. Traditional recipes include alcapurrias (a popular fried finger food using masa dough and picadillo as a filling), pastelillos de carne (meat turnovers using a flaky dough surrounding the picadillo meat), and many other island recipes. Puerto Rican picadillo uses sofrito, which is a traditional, flavorful condiment of Puerto Rico.

But you can also make this with ground chicken or turkey for a leaner (if less traditional) dish. Then I like to use green, red and yellow peppers, because I'm kinda colorful! Puerto Rican picadillo is a savory ground beef mixture that is used as a filling for empanadas, pastelillos or served over rice. You can cook Puerto Rican Picadillo using 17 ingredients and 6 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Puerto Rican Picadillo

1. You need 3 of lbs. Ground Chuck.
2. It's 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil.
3. Prepare 6-10 Cloves of Minced Garlic (your preference).
4. You need 1 of Medium / Large Onion Cubed.
5. It's 1 of Green Bell Pepper Cubed.
6. You need 1/3-1/2 Cup of Sofrito (I have a recipe for this).
7. You need 1 packet of Sazon with Culantro and Achiote.
8. You need 1/3 Cup of toasted Almonds.
9. You need 2/3 Cup of halved Green Olives.
10. Prepare 1/3 Cup of Capers.
11. Prepare 1/2 Cup of Raisins.
12. You need 1 tsp. of each Salt and Pepper.
13. You need 1 tsp. of Ground Cinnamon.
14. It's 1 tsp. of Ground Cloves.
15. You need 2 of Bay Leaves.
16. Prepare 1 can of Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes.
17. Prepare 2 Tbsp of White Vinegar.

It is very similar to a Cuban, Dominican and Mexican Picadillo recipe with slightly different spices and ingredients and is used in a variety of Puerto Rican dishes. Puerto Rican Picadillo - A Dish With a Million Uses Picadillo (literally translated as "finely chopped") is a basic component of any number of other Puerto Rican recipes. This seasoned, ground beef is incorporated into things like Pastelon de Maduro, Pastelillos, Pasteles, and any other number of typical dishes. Puerto Rican Picadillo: beef hash seasoned with sofrito.

Puerto Rican Picadillo instructions

1. In 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, sweat the Onion, Bell Pepper, Garlic, Sofrito, and Sazon for 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside in bowl..
2. Add remaining Tbsp of Olive Oil and brown Ground Chuck. When browned, drain fat and add Onion, Bell Pepper, Garlic and Sofrito mixture to skillet and set aside..
3. In small skillet, simmer Vinegar, Olives, Capers, Raisins, Salt and Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves and Bay leaves for up to 10 - 12 minutes stirring to distribute flavors..
4. In separate skillet, toast the almonds. You want them brown, but not burned. These add a very nice texture!! When done, add them to the meat mixture..
5. At this point, add the Olive and Caper mixture (in step 3) to the Ground Chuck mixture. Add Almonds and Diced Tomatoes. Bring up to heat and turn to simmer for approximately one hour. You're going to LOVE how your house is smelling..
6. There's just something about my Caldero that makes this so much better. Not necessary though..

Great with rice, or as a filling for empanadas, papas rellenos and tacos! (Popular in Cuban and Latin American cuisine). My Puerto Rican recipe series continues. In Puerto Rico picadillo is used for stuffing, which needs to be moist but not runny, so not a lot of tomato sauce is used. But if you are serving it as a side dish use more tomato sauce. Usually a dish like this uses more sofrito, but I like to see the chopped spices so I reduce the amount of sofrito and add chopped ingredients.