Before I loved the kitchen, I always loved to eat that was never in question. I loved going over to my friends houses, usually staying during dinner time, I guess I was THAT friend, and trying all the different cuisines my friends parents would prepare. To name a few, my friend Ali who is Peruvian and Chinese, my friend Emma who’s family is from Whales, Nicole who’s parents were Italian and Greek (I owe most of my passion for cooking to her late mother who so happened to be my mothers best friend, more about her in posts to come her name is Debbie, and I owe all my feelings about food to her), and my friend Leslie who’s mother was part Mexican. Looking back and writing this post I can’t help but realize how my passion for food has come to, with the unique array of friends who I made sure to spend a lot of time with, experiencing their food from their cultures, NO WONDER I love food and all of the feelings that come along with it.
Now, about Picadillo, this recipe stems from an experience I had when my friend Leslie’s mom prepared this one night. Typically she made hers with beef, from what I remember (which this was back in 2005ihh) it was simple, meaty, and absolutely delicious. The stewed tomato paste, simmered with beef, mixed with the briny salty green olives made for a flavor combination I could not forget.
As you all know my obsession with ground turkey is REAL so naturally I changed this recipe up a little using the ground turkey and adding some tricks I picked up from my cuban friend Joe’s grandmother who so graciously shared her recipe. I can’t wait for you to smell this in your kitchen, pour it over some rice, and sink into the home cooked comfort that this recipe will provide.
This is also an AWESOME recipe to make a large batch of and freeze if need be, it heats up great and can hold up to the freezing process. Great for meal prepping or a family get together not to mention it all comes together in ONE PAN, dreams.
Ingredients:
– 1 lbs. Ground Turkey
– 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced
– 1/2 Green Bell Pepper, diced
– 1 Medium onion, diced
– 2 Ribs Celery, diced
– 1 1/2 tbs. Garlic, minced
– 2 tbs. Tomato paste
– 1/4 cup Red Wine (the rest is for drinking)
– 1 tsp. Oregano
– 1 tsp. Paprika
– 1 tsp. Onion Powder
– 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
– 1 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don’t like a kick)
– 1 cup Green Olives
– 1/2 cup Raisins (this is not a typical ingredient in this dish however I love the sweet bite that these lend omit if you’re not into it)
– 2 tbs. Capers
– 1/2 cup Peas
Method:
- In large skillet on medium high heat, add the ground turkey and cook until browned, using a ladle scoop out some of the liquid so that theres only a few tablespoons left in the pan. About 5-8 minutes
- Add the peppers, onions, garlic, and celery to the pan along with a pinch of salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are soft and translucent. About 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Once the vegetables start to cook through add the tomato paste, and spices and stir until combined and fragrant about 2 minutes. Add wine. and simmer. If the mixture seems a bit dry add 1/2 cup of water at a time to ensure it stays moist like a thick chili.
- Simmer for 20 minutes add the olives, raisins, and capers and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add peas and heat through another 5 minutes, this may seem like a labor of love but once you get the motions down it is one of the easiest things to make! Serve with some rice or potatoes and you’ve got yourself a feast!