Picadillo (Ground Beef Stew)

The Kidlet and I whipped this up as a proteinaceous accompaniment to the Filipino salad crêpes we had for dinner tonight. It's a fairly plain dish. (The Kidlet loved it!) I think I would've preferred something with a bit more seasoning, but it was fine as-is. Next time I'd probably add a few green chilies and maybe some carrot and/or bell pepper. I think you could add just about any veggies you want to it. And bay leaves or cassia leaves might be another nice way to add a little more flavour. There are a lot of options.

Picadillo

Slightly adapted from Authentic Recipes from the Philippines by Reynaldo G. Alejandro

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 6-7 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 small shallots or 1 onion, diced
• 2 fresh green Thai chilies, cut into 1cm pieces (optional)
• 3 whole cloves (optional)
• 1 bay or cassia leaf (optional)
• 2 c. diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
• 450g ground beef
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 450g potatoes, cubed
• 1L water
• 200g carrots, diced (optional)
• 1 large bell pepper, diced (optional)
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and cook until golden.
3. Add shallot/onion, chilies (if using), cloves (if using), and bay/cassia leaf (if using) and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and cook until softened.
5. Add beef, fish sauce, and pepper and cook until meat is browned.
6. Add potatoes and water and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
8. Add carrots (if using) and bell pepper (if using) and cook for another 10 minutes.
9. Garnish with cilantro and serve.