PICADILLO STEW

A journey into rustic comfort food. Picadillo Stew is a general term for any number of soup or stew recipes from several different cuisines…Filipino, Mexican, Spanish. Basically, it’s a country style stew that utilizes ingredients, mostly vegetables, that are available at any given time in the kitchen. This recipe leans a little to the Mexican side due to the addition of cumin and chile powder. I had a small leek and some cabbage in the fridge, so in they went as well.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces lean ground beef

• 3 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 cup diced onions

• 1/2 cup sliced celery

• 1/2 cup diced carrots

• 1 cup diced leeks (optional)

• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp chile powder

• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes

• 1 cup chopped cabbage

• 1 Russet potato, peeled, 1/2 inch diced

• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions:

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 2 minutes. Crumble in the ground beef and brown until no longer pink.

• Add the onions, celery, carrots, leeks, salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire, diced tomatoes, cabbage, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, lower heat, cover, and cook for 25 minutes.

• Add the potatoes and cook another 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Taste and reseason if necessary. Add the chopped cilantro and serve.