John

Picadillo (Columbia)
For the Meat
• 2 pounds sirloin tips_
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
• 2 large cloves garlic, quartered
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh oregano
• 1 poblano pepper, split in half and seeded
• 1 Tablespoon sea salt

Cut the meat into large chunks, removing any excess fat. Brown meat in a large Dutch oven, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, poblano pepper, garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and salt. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off any foam that collects on the surface. Lower the heat and allow the water to simmer about 45 minutes, until the meat is just tender. Take the pot off the stove and let the meat cool in the broth, about 20 minutes. Remove the pieces of meat and finely shred them. Strain and reserve the broth.

For the Picadillo
• 4 Tablespoons safflower or canola oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 poblano pepper, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins, soaked 10 minutes in warm water then drained
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 green pepper, seeded and diced
• 3 large, ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup green olives, diced
• 1 teaspoon merken mapuche spice (http://www.tuchileaqui.com/memaspchgo50.html) - or substitute chili powder
• 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons almonds, slivers

Cook white rice separately while cooking the Picadillo.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet and sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until they turn a pale gold. Stir in the broth and shredded meat and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon, pepper, raisins, Merken, olives, carrots, apple, potatoes, tomatoes, cilantro and additional salt to taste if desired. Continue cooking over medium heat until most of the moisture has evaporated. Stir often so that the mixture doesn’t stick. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.

Saute almond slivers in butter until golden brown. Mound the beef onto the center of a server platter and sprinkle with the almonds. Surround it with a border of white rice. The picadillo may be made 1 day in advance… if you can stand to wait that long to try it.