Texas Style Picadillo Recipes

TEXAS STYLE PICADILLO

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil.
• Add ground beef until browned. Add onions and garlic and spices. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often.
• Place potatoes in skillet, cover reduce heat and cook for 40 minutes until potatoes are cooked.
• Add tomatoes, simmer for 5 more minutes while still covered.
• Remove and serve over tortillas with cheese.

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN PICADILLO

Steps:

• Bring 6 whole tomatoes to a boil in a small pot. Transfer to a blender. Add 3/4 cup water, onion halves, and whole garlic clove. Blend until smooth.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and serrano pepper. Cook until onion is transparent. Add minced garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped tomato and cook for 1 minute more. Add ground beef; cook until browned, about 8 minutes.
• Pour canned tomato sauce into the beef mixture. Cook for 2 minutes. Mix in potatoes and carrots. Cook for 2 minutes; add the blended tomatoes, jalapeno, chicken bouillon, cumin, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well, reduce heat, and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

TACOS DE PICADILLO

Steps:

• Use a mortar and pestle to mash the garlic, cumin seeds and peppercorns into a smooth paste. Add 1/4 cup water and mash until the paste is incorporated into the water. Transfer the mixture to a measuring cup. (Alternately, blend the garlic, cumin seeds and peppercorns in a blender with about 1/4 cup water, occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender until very well blended, about 5 minutes.)
• To make the picadillo, heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high. Add the beef and let it brown, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until mostly cooked through, about 8 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent and the meat is fully crumbled, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add half the blended garlicky liquid to the beef, along with 1/4 teaspoon salt and about 1 cup water. (The water should cover the beef by about two-thirds.) Let the mixture come to a simmer over medium heat. Let cook, occasionally scraping the bottom of the skillet using a wooden spoon to release any browned bits, until the liquid reduces slightly, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and season to taste with salt.
• Drain most but not all of the liquid from the beef picadillo into another skillet (you'll want to retain just enough to keep the meat moist), then cover the beef picadillo and set aside.
• To the excess beef cooking liquid, add the remaining blended garlicky liquid, 1 cup water and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a strong simmer over medium-high heat and let it cook for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Season to taste with salt.
• Taste the drained beef picadillo, season to taste, and add a few spoonfuls of the reduced broth to season the meat, if desired.
• Lay one tortilla in the skillet containing the simmering broth and let it soak just until slightly softened, 5 or 6 seconds (enough time for the tortilla to absorb the flavors of the broth without absorbing too much liquid and falling apart). Working quickly, use a spatula to remove the softened tortilla from the skillet, allowing excess liquid to drip off, and lay the tortilla down on a plate. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef picadillo down the middle. Roll the taco and transfer it to a platter, seam side down. Repeat this step until you have filled all of the tortillas. Discard any remaining broth.
• Sprinkle the tacos with the shredded lettuce and diced tomato. Serve with rice and beans and salsa, if using.