Picadillo Tacos and Calabacitas

Chef Notes

Ingredients

Steps

Picadillo Tacos and Calabacitas

Chef notes

Picadillo is a dish of stewed ground beef that is enjoyed all over Latin America and the Philippines. The dish will vary by region and even by household wherever you go and will often include a base of Sofrito – made with onion, garlic, peppers and tomato. Other common ingredients in picadillo are olives, raisins, capers, potatoes, carrots, pine nuts and sometimes hard boiled eggs.

For this dish, we’re using the picadillo as the main ingredient for tacos. You’ll find you won’t need much more than the filling because of how flavorful this recipe is. It’s served alongside calabacitas, which is a super simple and healthy vegetarian dish that screams summer. It’s been eaten for thousands of years in Mexico, using only indigenous crops such as squash, tomatoes, corn and chiles. Once you try it, you’ll understand why this recipe has stood the test of time.

Ingredients

Picadillo
Olive oil to coat pan
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves
2 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp California Love
15 oz can of tomato sauce
.5 cup pitted green olives
.25 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt to taste
Calabacitas
1 small white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 plum tomatoes
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 Serrano, seeds removed if desired and chopped finely
1 tsp California Love
2 zucchini or other summer squash, diced into thin quarter wedges
2 cups fresh corn, removed from cob
Cotija to garnish

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Steps

Step 1 - Picadillo

Heat a sauté pan to medium high heat and add oil to coat, Add onions and bell pepper cook until beginning to caramelize, about 5- 8 minutes

Step 2 -

Add garlic followed by the beef.

Step 3 -

Continue to cook while breaking the beef apart in the pan.

Step 4 -

When the beef is mostly browned add the spices and then the tomato sauce.

Step 5 -

Continue to cook for another 10 minutes or so before adding the olives and pine nuts and seasoning to taste. Add a splash of water if all of the liquid evaporates. You do not want it soupy or dry.

Step 6 -

Serve in tortillas or over rice.

Step 7 - Calabacitas

Heat a sauté pan to medium heat and add oil to coat.

Step 8 -

Add onions and begin to cook down.

Step 9 -

While onions are cooking broil tomatoes for 5 minutes or until it has a couple charred spots.

Step 10 -

Add the garlic, poblanos and Serrano chile to the onions and continue to cook for 3 minutes or so before adding spices and the zucchini.

Step 11 -

Crush or chop the tomatoes until it is a coarse purée.