It is practically impossible to talk about Latin food and not talk about picadillo. I think that there is a picadillo (sautéed or stewed ground meat) recipe in every country in Latin America. Even Spain and the Philippines (where they call it giniling) have their own version of Picadillo. In Venezuela, we simply call it carne molida or ground meat.  The first time I heard picadillo was from my cuban friends in Miami. My friend adds olives and raisins to her recipe and it is to live for!

Picadillo is very versatile, and it is also the base for many dishes. We use it as the base for sauces (like bolognese, omitting the red peppers),  to fill empanadas, it could be used in pastries and tacos as well. It can be the main dish on top of rice or pasta or vegetables.

It is also a great alternative for chili. Picadillo can be made in advance, between you and me it’s even better the next day!

I don’t eat red meat and I haven’t for over 20 years. I don’t even crave it. However, I always had the memory of picadillo from lunch in my school days in Caracas. I tried to replicate that recipe several times and I never could make anything close to the one we used to eat. However, throughout the years I have developed this recipe and I wouldn’t change it for the original, we really love it.

There are endless possibilities depending on your preference and what you eat. In Spain, they love to add chorizo. My friend uses raisins for sweetness and pimento stuffed olives for salt. I have friends who use hot spices, nutmeg and even red vinegar. Some people even add cinnamon to theirs.

I have experimented with different spices, even smoked paprika. However, I prefer it simpler.  Red bell peppers, onions, cumin, garlic and thyme (fresh thyme would be best). Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.

Just start by sautéing the usual suspects (onion, red peppers and garlic, salt, pepper and thyme) then add the turkey. Stir and mix and add the rest of the ingredients. Once all ingredients have been sautéed and integrated then add some vegetable broth and let simmer and that’s all.

That will be the base of a good bolognese – just add tomatoes and basil, maybe some wine?

It is delicious over zoodles with a little butter and basil, with a sprinkle of parmesan! 

We usually serve it with white rice and a fresh salad (green salad, cole slaw, grilled zucchini). Leftovers can be used in so many different ways!

I mixed it with my sun-dried tomato pesto over pasta and it was fantastic! A crowd pleaser!

Turkey Picadillo

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 lb of ground Turkey

1 cup of sweet onion, diced

1/2 cup of red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1.5 tbs of Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbs of tomato paste

(I use this one)

3/4 tsp of fresh thyme (1/2 tsp if dry)

3/4 to 1 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of black pepper

3/4 to 1 cup of Vegetable or Chicken broth

2 tsp butter, divided

1 tbsp of olive oil

 

Instructions

Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan (I used a 12-in pan) over medium-high. Add onions, a pinch of salt, and half the thyme. Add red peppers and garlic, stir to combine, and cook until the onions and red peppers start to soften approximately 8-10 minutes.
Add the ground turkey. Allow it to brown, crumbling the meat with a fork as it cooks. Season with salt, black pepper, cumin,  and the remaining thyme.
Add Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and continue stirring until fragrant and incorporated. Add the vegetable broth to deglaze the pan drippings.  Lower the heat, add the remaining butter, stir and let the stew simmer very low, covered, for approximately 10-15 minutes, up to 30 minutes.
Uncover the pan, and raise the temperature. Allow the stew to cook for another 2-3 minutes or so and evaporate some of the liquid.

Serve over rice, pasta, or zucchini noodles, or just eat on its own!

Calculated on 4 servings: