Picadillo

Moving day is in less than a week. Having done all we can to remedy our mortgage situation, there are no other options. Fortunately we have good friends that have found a way to be able to help us by giving us a place to stay, while we, in turn, help them remodel their house. Having known them since I was young, their son being the best man at my wedding, the living situation should be pretty easy to adjust to.  Either way, it will be an adventure. But we're extremely grateful to have friends like them!

So in a way, I have a job for the next six months. I'm still going to be searching for an independent source of income, and my wife will continue to be looking as well. The majority of the remodeling work in their home will be in the the kitchen, so it will be interesting to see how this blog unfolds, with a temporary kitchen set-up. There may be a lot of grilling! I intend to continue writing about my adventures in the job market and posting recipes. Not that anyone is really reading this, but I at least will try to be loyal to what I started.

In other news, this past weekend I tried a new recipe and failed at it. I have the pictures on another camera, so I'll be posting it later. The sauce came out well, and the chicken stuffing tasted great, but the chicken... oh, the chicken... I weep for it.

Yesterday, however, I again tried something new. Every time I try a recipe I always have to change it. Sometimes I don't have a certain ingredient on hand. But many times I just feel the need to put my own spin on things. Having never tasted the original dish before, I presumptuously think I have a better way of preparing it and go ahead and change it, sometimes a whole lot. I guess I just like to put myself into my work.

So today I am posting the outcome. Lexie gives it an 8 out of 10. However, being Nicaraguan, she says she's stuffed with Picadillo. I think she might be a little biased. Yet, she does admit this is one of the best she's had.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 green pepper, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

2 plum tomatoes, 1 finely chopped

3 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons corn flour

1 pound lean ground beef

1 teaspoon cumin

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup asiago cheese, shredded (optional)

1 teaspoon dried basil (optional)

Preparation Instructions: 

1. Before anything else, chop your vegetables and herbs. Blend the second tomato in a food processor and then mix in a small bowl with the ketchup and corn flour.

2. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, brown the meat. Season to personal preference with salt and pepper. Continually mix and break up the meat into small pieces with the spoon. Once no more pink is visible, drain. 

 

3. Add the chopped onion, garlic, pepper, cilantro, oregano, and tomato and cook, stirring, at low heat for 5 minutes.

 

 4. Add all other ingredients except the asiago cheese, mix well. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes or until slightly reduced. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes.

   

 

 5. Serve over rice. Having some extra asiago cheese from making Asiagoburgers, I mixed it with some basil and sprinkled it on top. This is optional, although it adds a great flavor to the meal. 4 servings.