Picadillo is one of the most popular meals in Mexico. Every cook makes their own version, whether for stuffing poblanos or jalapeños, for eating with beans and rice or making tacos or burritos. It is one of the easiest and tastiest dishes you can make! Economical, easy to make and versatile, that’s why we like it so much. It is especially kid friendly too.
I have posted another recipe for picadillo here in the blog, but this one I like particularly for stuffing peppers, as it has more concentrated tomato flavour and it is more compact. Poblanos are our stars when we think of stuffing peppers, but you can also stuff anchos or fiery jalapeños.
For these peppers, I prefer making a pork picadillo, but you can certainly make it with beef, veal, or a combination of meats. The only thing you need to be mindful of, is to dice your potatoes and carrots small, no more than 1/4”, so they can cook fairly fast; also, we don’t want them to be too chunky in the peppers. If your picadillo is very loose when the vegetables are cooked, simply cook it a bit longer, uncovered, to evaporate the liquids. It needs to be fairly dry so the chiles rellenos are not runny. I like to serve these on a pool of guajillo tomato salsa for a nice presentation.
CHILES RELLENOS DE PICADILLO CON SALSA DE TOMATE Y CHILE GUAJILLO
Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Tomato Guajillo Salsa
Picadillo - Ground Beef Hash
2 large Roma tomatoes, chopped (2 cups)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
350 g lean ground beef, veal or pork, or a mixture
1 medium onion, diced (3/4 cup)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced (3/4 cup)
1 medium non-starchy potato, peeled and diced (1 cup)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
1/4 cup water
Chiles - Peppers
4-5 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and deveined
Salsa de Tomate con Chile Guajillo – Guajillo Tomato Sauce
2 large Roma tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 chile guajillo, toasted on dry skillet until aromatic, then seeded and crumbled
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
For the Picadillo:
In blender jar, combine tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Reserve.
Heat oil in sauté pan and cook meat until no longer pink. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until onions are translucent; add carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, Mexican oregano and cook for one minute. Add the blended tomatoes and water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until potatoes and carrots are tender, 15-20 minutes. If it is still too wet when the vegetables are tender, cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Correct seasonings. Reserve for stuffing peppers.
Char poblano chiles over an open flame or broil until skins are charred. Place in a bowl and cover them to steam. Remove skins and then cut a slit down the side to carefully remove veins and seeds. Stuff peppers with picadillo and place on plate with the cut side up. Reserve and keep warm.
For the Salsa:
Place tomatoes, garlic, onion, guajillo and chicken stock in blender container or food processor and process until very smooth.
In medium saucepan, heat the oil and cook the sauce until reduced, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.
Serve stuffed chiles with salsa.
Serves 4-5.