Cuban Picadillo

Summer was made for chili peppers

Now that the warm weather is in full force in Portland and my summer garden is finally set up, I'm getting anxious to be able to stuff chili peppers into everything I make. Namely, this Cuban Picadillo, which takes roots in Latin American cuisine and comes together with a savory blend of ground meat, tomatoes, olives, green onions, spices, and plenty of chili peppers.

For hot summer nights when you want to spend limited time in the kitchen, you can have this dish on your table in 30 minutes or less.

Spicy Misconceptions: Why Cuban Picadillo is a mild dish

This recipe includes 3 types of peppers: jalapeño, poblano, and bell - so you might be worried about the heat level. However, I find this dish to be quite mild and here's why:

Not all chili peppers are actually spicy.

Though bell peppers are technically a chili pepper, their capsaicin (the natural compound responsible for a chili pepper's heat) is virtually non-existent. Instead, they fall into the category of sweet peppers, alongside other mild peppers such as banana peppers and pimentos.

At this point, you're probably saying "duh, Jenni, everyone knows that bell peppers aren't spicy! I'm worried about the jalapeno and poblano peppers!"

Yes, jalapeno and poblano peppers contain capsaicin, and yes, they can be "spicy." However, they don't rank very high on the Scoville scale (which measures the heat of chili peppers in relation to the amount of capsaicin generally found in them). Here are a few examples on the Scoville scale, rated in Scoville heat units (SHU):

• Carolina Reaper 800,000-3,200,000 SHU
• Habanero 100,000-350,000 SHU
• Serrano 10,000-23,000 SHU
• Jalapeno 3,500-8,000 SHU
• Poblano 1000-1,500 SHU
• Bell 0-100 SHU

As you can see, the poblano and jalapeno both fall very low on the Scoville scale owing to low average SHU, with the poblanos ranging toward the bottom of the chart for heat level.

Still worried about those jalapenos? Here's how to adjust the heat level

There are a few simple things you can do to help bring the spice level down in this dish, without sacrificing the flavor that the chili peppers bring.

1. Scrape the pith and ribs out - You may have heard that a pepper’s capsaicin is found in the seeds - This is only sort of true. The capsaicin is actually found in the highest concentrations in the pith and ribs of the pepper (the white part). The seeds are surrounded by the pith and ribs which is why they get blamed as the primary culprit. So, if you want to lessen the heat of a pepper a bit, scrape as much of the white pith and ribs out as you can.
2. Pay attention to stress lines - Just like humans, jalapeno peppers can get stressed out and also get stretch marks. When a pepper goes through exceptionally hot days and infrequent waterings, it stresses the plant and creates white lines or "stretch marks" indicative of extra spicy "stressed" peppers. As the plant ages, the pepper accumulates more stress lines and are often found to be spicier than their smoother, younger counterparts. An older pepper will also begin to turn red, which can lend a bit more sweetness to the pepper, but you'll still want to pay attention to the stretch marks because even a sweet pepper can pack a lot of heat.
3. Use one instead of two - If you're still really worried about the heat of your jalapenos, this recipe is still delicious if you only use one jalapeno instead of two.

Can I swap the ground turkey for a different meat?

Traditional Cuban Picadillo is usually made with ground beef, though I generally opt to swap in ground turkey instead just to keep things a bit lighter. I've also been known to do a 50/50 split of beef and turkey from time to time, and even occasionally swap in ground chicken. I find that this dish is pretty flexible, so long as you choose good-quality meat.

The name Picadillo comes from the Spanish word "picar," which means "to mince," so minced/ground meat is a given. However, if you're up for bending the rules, I really think this dish would also be brilliant with shredded meat like beef roast and pulled chicken.

My rule of thumb is this: If I would use that type of meat for tacos, it's likely going to work well for Cuban Picadillo.

What should I serve this with?

Cuban Picadillo is often served over rice or in tortillas, but I prefer to serve it over top of this Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice to keep things low-carb. If you aren't averse to a few carbs, potatoes are lovely diced and cooked right in with the meat, but we generally opt to leave those out as well.

A note for special diets

This Cuban Picadillo recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and friendly for Paleo, Keto, Whole30, and low-carb diets. It remains friendly for the aforementioned diets when served over Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, as suggested. If you choose to serve this dish on its own (or over potatoes or rice) rather than with cauliflower rice, it is also friendly for Low-FODMAP diets.

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