Picadillo (Hash) at the Flores Family's El Charro Cafe

By: KateL
Jun 2, 2008

This is a traditional dish for a Mexican wedding. Use Spanish green olives in this recipe. Ketchup sweetens Picadillo; so, if the apples are tart, you might choose to add a little. To "slowest choppers in the Western Hemisphere", I recommend preparing the following the day before: garlic, onion, celery, olives. I stored the garlic and onion in vinegar overnight. The raisins and ketchup/water/sugar mixtures prepare quickly. The potato and apple should be saved for last, since they will turn color. With no specified amount of cinnamon, I used about 1 teaspoon, and it was noticeable but not overpowering. I like garlic, but the garlic was not overpowering at all, it was just go-ooo-d!. It has a sweet and sour aspect. I was wary of this dish as it was labelled "hash". So I prepared Italian Meat Loaf from BH&G in case DH was disappointed in the Picadillo. I called it the match between Italian and Mexican cuisines in the ground beef category. The Italian meat loaf was excellent, so I was really shocked that DH preferred this Picadillo. The recipe came from "The Flores Family's El Charro Cafe Cookbook."