Picadillo: mince with a difference

I found this recipe in the 'Things I Never Knew' department of this blog. Picadillo is a Latin dish made from ground beef. With slight differences (typically the addition of potato or chayote) , it is the same dish as 'giniling,' from the Philippines. However, as I looked over the various recipes, they reminded me strongly of a dish I've known all my life, one of the first I ever learned to cook: 'mince' (as in 'Mince Pie'*)

In fact, the name 'picadillo' comes from the Spanish word 'picar,' meaning "to mince" or "to chop," just as 'mince' refers to 'minced meat.' Which is what most of the English speaking world calls 'ground beef.' In any case, picadillo represents a cultural variant of a dish well-known worldwide. The American equivalent (though the sauce is sweeter and more liquid than I prefer) is, of course, the 'Sloppy Joe,' which is served on a bun but goes equally well over rice.

Similarly, the 'hamburger' is the American variant of the meat-in-pastry form factor known around the globe. India it is called a 'keema samosa.' In parts of China you will find 'char siu bao' - 叉烧包 - (though in Hawaii you should ask for 'manapua'). Most cultures prepare a version of this dish as well.

picadillo with rice: a cross-cultural yang and yin

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef/pork
4 cloves garlic
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
2T cider vinegar
1t red wine vinegar
1/3C wine
1 can tomato paste
1T tapenade
4C raisins
salt and pepper to taste


Method:
Saute and simmer (in this order)
meat
garlic, pepper, onion
vinegars and wine
tomato paste, tapenade and raisins
then add salt and pepper as you like

simmer until blended, and serve over rice


The main difference between my cooking method and that found in most traditional recipes: I start cooking the ground beef with a little water in the pan to prevent sticking. This seems a bit more to the point that starting with the "1/4C lard or oil" most recipes call for. Even ground beef with 10% fat ("Ground Sirloin" at My Local Grocery) contains more than enough fat to saute both it and the vegetables, and adds all the flavor one could wish for.


3 portions, each
400 cal
30 carbs
(not counting the rice)


Photo by Ruben Gallardo from www.entrepucheros.com
This recipe is a conflation from various sources


For comparison purposes, this is my traditional recipe for 'mince' - cooked the same way, and almost identical in terms of calories and carbs.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef**
1 clove garlic
1 green pepper, diced (optional)
1 onion, diced
2T tomato ketchup
1/3 wine
salt and pepper to taste


* The 'Demon Barber of Fleet Street' had it wrong in one respect. I know from my father (He burned himself severely as a boy. When he put his arm to his mouth he remembered the taste) and from others (I have no direct experience in this matter) that the dish known in Polynesia as 'long pig' tastes delicious. There was a reason the customers kept coming back...

** Don't you be telling me that in parts of the world this recipe would begin with "a pound of ground hound..." Elijah and Loki would be offended.