Seasonal Pantry: Picadillo around the globe

Picadillo is not something I’ve ever really thought about, but suddenly it seems to be everywhere. A few weeks ago, a delicious rice porridge from the Bone Broth Company was topped with a tangy beef picadillo that was so good I wanted to lick the plate.

This got me thinking and, before long, I was unraveling a thread that circles the globe, connecting one ground-meat dish to another.

Picadillo is seasoned minced or ground meat - typically beef, pork or a combination - traditional in Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Cuba, the Caribbean, Brazil, Venezuela, Costa Rica and the Philippines. Each country has its own versions, some spicy, some mild, some with sweet as well as savory ingredients. It may be served with rice and beans, folded into a tortilla, tucked into a bun or used as a filling for enchiladas, chiles rellenos, tamales and empanadas. Some versions are thin and soupy, others rich and thick.

Great Britain has its minces, perhaps best known in cottage pie and shepherd’s pie. France has haché, a Lyonnaise dish of ground beef with onions and herbs. In Italy, a traditional ragu is probably the closest cousin, though a true Bolognese is on the same continuum.

Macau has a similar dish called minchi that likely evolved during the 16th century, when the Chinese island just south of Hong Kong was a colony of Portugal.

In Southeast Asia, larb calls for ground chicken, duck, pork or beef in a spicy, tangy sauce of lime juice, fish sauce, hot chilies and toasted rice powder. Here, we find versions in Thai and Vietnamese restaurants.

Throughout the Middle East, Africa and India, there are countless tagines, curries and other stews that call for one kind of ground meat or other.

But what about America? Where do we weigh in on this tradition? There’s the Americanized version of tacos, filled with mildly spiced ground beef. I suffered through countless such tacos when I was growing up. But this isn’t really true American food, is it? I don’t think so.

And then it dawned on me: The sloppy Joe, the nightmare of my childhood that is the quintessential American ground-meat dish, is as close as we get to a native picadillo. School cafeterias served sloppy Joes once a week, or so it seemed when I was growing up. I hated them not just because of the cloying sweet meat studded with mushy carrots, but also because I had to sit at the dining table and miss recess if I didn’t clean my plate. And this was right here in the Bay Area, a half-hour’s drive from here.

That we can now get a beautiful picadillo layered with rich flavors and textures at a farmers market in Sonoma County in the middle of winter is a wonderfully delicious example of how broadly and deeply we have opened our culinary arms.

You’ll find recipes for larb, cottage pie, shepherd’s pie, ragu and more at Eat This Now at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.

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When Green Star Farm had fresh goat meat at the Sebastopol farmers market last week, I thought immediately of how good it would be turned into picadillo. I was right; it is really delicious. This version, while not traditional, borrows on several traditions. If you like a bit of sweetness in savory dishes, use sweet potatoes instead of new potatoes.

Goat Picadillo

Serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons homemade lard or organic butter

1 large shallot or 1 medium yellow onion, cut into small dice

3 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt

2 inner celery stalks, cut into small dice

1 small carrot, peeled and cut into small dice

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

3 tablespoons snipped cilantro stems

Generous pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1-1¼ pounds ground goat meat

½ cup white wine

¾ cup meat broth or stock

8 ounces new potatoes or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

Black pepper in a mill

2 cups white rice, steamed (about 6 cups cooked)

Chopped fresh cilantro

5-6 chopped fresh mint leaves, optional

1 lemon, cut in wedges

Put the lard or butter into a heavy sauté pan set over medium heat. When it is melted, add the shallot or onion and sauté until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Season with salt.

Add the celery and carrot, reduce the heat and sauté very gently until very soft and fragrant. Add the ginger and cilantro stems, sauté 2 minutes more, add the red pepper flakes and season lightly with a bit more salt.

Increase the heat, add the meat and break it up with a fork. Continue to cook, stirring all the while with a fork, until it loses its raw look and takes on some color, about 12 to 15 minutes. Season again with a bit of salt.

Add the wine and simmer until it is nearly reduced. Add the broth or stock and the potatoes, stir, lower the heat, cover the pan and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Uncover the pan and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from the heat, taste, correct for salt, and season with several generous turns of black pepper.

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Sonoma County produces some of the finest lamb in the world, and so it makes sense that we should make a great lamb picadillo. This version, which is my own, suits my preferences for bright, tangy flavors.

Lamb Picadillo

Serves 4 to 6

2-3 tablespoons lard or olive oil

1 large shallot, minced

3 garlic cloves, cut into small dice

Kosher salt

1 small carrot, peeled and cut into small dice

1 celery stalk, cut into small dice

1-1¼ pound fresh ground lamb, preferably local

½ teaspoon minced rosemary needles

½ cup Rainwater Madeira

¾ cup meat broth or stock

8 ounces new potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice

½ cup pitted green olives, such as Picholine, sliced in half crosswise

2 tablespoons capers, drained

Black pepper in a mill

Fresh pita bread, hot

Steamed rice or couscous

1 cup organic plain whole milk yogurt

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh spearmint leaves

1 lemon, in wedges

Put the lard or olive oil into a heavy sauté pan, set over medium heat and add the shallot. Sauté until soft and fragrant, add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Season with salt. Add the carrot and celery, sauté 2 minutes more and season with a bit more salt.

Add the lamb and use a fork to break it up. Continue to cook and work the meat with the fork until it loses its raw color and begins to brown a bit.

Season with salt and turn the heat to high. Add the rosemary and Madeira and simmer until the liquid is almost completely evaporated. Add the broth or stock and the potatoes, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Uncover and simmer until the juices have thickened. Fold in the olives and capers, heat through and taste. Correct for salt and season with several turns of black pepper.

To serve, set pita bread (not cut) on individual plates, add a scoop of rice or couscous and spoon picadillo on top. Add a generous dollop of yogurt, sprinkle with mint and cilantro, garnish with lemon wedges and and serve right away.

Email Michele Anna Jordan at catsmilk@sonic.net.