4 portions; 10 min preparation; 30-45 min cooking.

Today we are going back to the Caribbean, where the flavors are so unique and bold. I haven’t made any Cuban dish so far, so it was time to try this beautiful cuisine. This dish might not be to everyone’s taste, but if you dare trying unusual flavors, give it a go.

Picadillo is a traditional Latin-American and Philippine stew (named giniling in the Philippines), made of ground meat and tomatoes. The name comes from Spanish and literally means “chopped”. It has many different versions, depending on the country, but in all of them there is ground meat, potatoes and bell pepper.

Usually is made of ground beef, but I wanted to make it a little lighter and used turkey. Actually, I bought biological fillet and minced in the food processor until very fine.
Personally I love the combination of the meat with the cinnamon. The raisins give a little sweetness and the olives balance it with a little bit of acidity.

I would recommend to let it simmer for as long as you can. It will help developing beautiful deep flavor that you will just love. Serve it with rice as they do that in Latin America and you will have a complete delicious meal.

Ingredients

• 350 g ground turkey meat
• 350 g tomatoes, chopped or plum
• 50 g raisins
• 1/2 sweet onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 100 g green olives, halved
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp mild olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

Heat oil in a big pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the minced onions until transparent. Add minced garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the bell pepper pieces and cook for 3 for minutes. Add the ground turkey and cook for 3-4 min.

Pour the white wine and stir until the liquid evaporates. Once that happens, add the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, olives, raisins, bay leaves and seasonings). Bring to the boil then reduce the temperature.

Let it simmer with a lid on for as long as you can. This will make the flavors blend together and create depth. Make sure that there is enough liquid in the pan. If you see that the mixture is too dry, add water. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Enjoy!