Karla Armour, Owner of La Matriz Bakery
https://lamatrizbakery.wordpress.com/
The Spice House
-1512 N. Wells St./Chicago
-1941 Central St./Evanston
http://www.thespicehouse.com
Recipe:
The name “picadillo” is rooted in the Spanish verb picar (say: pee-KAR), which means “to chop, dice or mince.” It is a pan-Latino and Filipino dish that has many regional variations. Some ingredient options include diced potatoes, raisins (sometimes bloomed in rum), olives and nuts. The Guyanese version includes cabbage.
Picadillo (w/cabbage option)
1 large pot or wide skillet
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp butter & 2 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup diced white or gold potato
1 medium onion, diced (approx. ½ cup)
3 cloves of garlic, diced
¼ cup raisins, craisins, currants, dried cherries (halved) or dried apricots (chopped)
8 oz can of tomato sauce or 1 cup of diced tomato
1 tsp Pilsen Latino Seasoning from The Spice House
½ tsp Orange Peel Zest from The Spice House
½ tsp Lemon Peel Zest from The Spice House
Dash of ground Vietnamese “Saigon” Cinnamon from The Spice House
Optional: Half of a medium green cabbage, thin to medium sliced (approx. 2-3 cups), rinsed and drained
-Over medium heat, sautee the ground beef, stirring and breaking it into smaller sections with a spoon or spatula. Drain the fat. Remove meat from the pot/skillet.
-Add butter and cooking oil to the pot. As the fats melt and liquefy, add potato, onion and garlic. Sautee until golden and translucent.
-Stir in meat, dried fruit, tomato sauce or tomato, cinnamon, orange zest, lemon zest and Pilsen Latino Seasoning [and cabbage if opted for] .
-Slightly reduce heat, cover pot/skillet and simmer 10-15 minutes until cabbage is tender with slight crunch. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat when done.
Rice pilaf
1 small or medium pot or saucepan
1 cup long grain white rice
¼ cup cooking oil
2 cups water or chicken broth, hot
-Over medium heat, add the oil to the pot. Once oil is hot, but not smoking, add the rice. Stir constantly to ensure grains are evenly coated with oil.
-Continue stirring as rice becomes golden color.
-Add hot water or broth. Stir.
-Slightly reduce heat, cover pot and simmer 15-20 minutes until rice is tender to bite. Remove from heat when done.
Pineapple-Vanilla Lemonade
1 gallon pitcher
2 qts cold water
1 qt pineapple juice or nectar
2 envelopes unsweetened lemonade mix
3 cups granulated sugar
2 Mexican vanilla beans from The Spice House
-Steep vanilla beans in cold water at least 6 hours. Remove beans from water and set aside.
-Add pineapple juice or nectar. Stir.
-Add lemonade mix. Stir.
-Stir in sugar 1 cup at a time. Return vanilla beans to lemonade.
