Turkey Picadillo

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I like being able to cook dinner without any time constraints.  At times, I truly  enjoy preparing a meal that has more than just a few components and takes me more than a few hours to complete.  Call me crazy!  I don’t have kids (if we don’t count the puppy) so I’m able to do this every now and then.  With the ability to make a laborious dinner, I chose to make turkey picadillo last night.  The entire meal took me a measly 30 minutes from start to finish.  The only extra thing you have to do is hard-boil 2 eggs, which I think could be omitted.  The flavor was nice, sweet and savory at the same time.  The addition of golden raisins is very good; a little burst of sweetness!  It is also very versatile.  I ate it over baby spinach and my husband had it wrapped in flour tortillas.  The original recipe recommends wrapping the filling in lettuce leaves.  I think this would also be yummy on top of tortilla chips, as a tostada topping, over white or yellow rice, and maybe even folded in to scrambled eggs with some queso fresco.  Mmmm…I think that is what I will do with the leftovers tonight. picadillo1 I used a mixture of lean ground beef and ground turkey.  I also added about 1/2 cup more of the crushed tomatoes.  Other than that, I didn’t change a thing about this recipe from FineCooking.  I served the picadillo with black beans and roasted zucchini and squash.

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  • 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1-1/2 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
  • 1/3 cup dry red wine
  • 1 small yellow onion, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes 
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped
  • 6 Tbs. chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • flour tortillas or lettuce leaves for wrapping

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat with the edge of a spoon, until done, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and raisins and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with 1-1/2 tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the chopped eggs, olives, and cilantro.