Picadillo is a delicious and quite unusual dish using a mixture of pork and beef. It is lovely served with rice, but any leftovers can also be used as a filling for tacos or empanadas. You could use sliced jalapenos from a jar with some of their vinegar if you already have them in stock, rather than fresh chillies. Serve with a scattering of creamy cheese such as feta or cheshire. serves 4-6
250g each of pork and beef mince
1-2 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 fresh jalapeno chillies, sliced ( or see above)
4 tsp vinegar (see above)
2 red peppers, sliced
4 sticks celery, finely chopped
2 chicken stock cubes
1 large potato, peeled, cooked and diced into 1 cm cubes
20 pimento-stuffed olives, sliced
1 tbsp flaked almonds
1 tbsp raisins
2 tins tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
Heat a large pan and fry the mince until browned. Remove.
Hea the oil in the same pan and gently fry the onion until soft. Add the chillies, garlic, celery and peppers and cook gently for 5 minutes.
Add the potato and meat to the pan with the stock cubes, tinned tomatoes, vinegar and tomato puree, bring to the boil and then simmer for at least half an hour.
Half an hour before serving add the olives, raisins and almond flakes and stir through.
Serve with rice and scattered with cheese.