Black Bean Picadillo
If I could describe the last year of my life in one word it would be TRANSITION. I don’t want to state the obvious, but that’s what I do, so here goes- Having a baby is a BIG DEAL! Everything you thought you knew about life changes in a matter of seconds, and once you think you’ve figured out this new role your little babe throws a curve ball and completely changes the game AGAIN!
Little Lew’s eating is no stranger to transition. From barely being able to break down his food with his little chompers to tearing up his plate like a champ-this little guy is ready for a new level of culinary adventure. If your little tike is in a similar situation and you are looking to up your game, I have the perfect recipe for this transition. PLUS it’s really not just for babies; you can serve this as a delicious dish the entire family can enjoy together! Let me show you how…
Soak your raisins in some hot water. This is going to wake the raisins up a bit making them plump and juicy!
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Once the pan is hot enough, you are going to add the onion and garlic seasoned with some salt and pepper. Cook until the onion becomes translucent.
Add your ground chiles to the pan and stir for one minute. Then add the tomato paste and stir for about 2 minutes. Just look at that brick red color the onions and garlic take on. B-E-A-UTIFUL!
Now that we have our flavor base, it’s time to add the major players to this dish: Beans, corn and raisins with their soaking liquid.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. This is going to concentrate the flavors as the liquid reduces down into the mixture.
Just like that, you have a deliciously, flavorful, vegetarian dish ready to be devoured, and this is where we come to a crossroads. You see, if you noticed we still have the cheese and cilantro left on the ingredients list.
The cheese and cilantro can be incorporated one of two ways…if you prefer to enjoy on top of rice or in a tortilla you would top the mixture, while it’s still hot with the cheese and cilantro. OR you could chill the picadillo, prep some dough, stir the cheese and cilantro into the mix and make empanadas!
Which is exactly what I’ve done! Yum Yum!
Served on top of a bed of Tangy Hot Slaw, this savory sweet dish is one of those flavors that covers your palate beautifully. It’s sweet, savory, earthy, fresh, and just downright delicious!
I even served this to my now one year old (how did that happen?) at his birthday party and he devoured a couple servings worth. It was the perfect finger food for him and he kept asking for more.
More to come on this later…but just to wet your appetite- we had a wonderful time celebrating Little Lew’s birthday! We had family, friends, gifts, cake, a taco bar and love…LOTS of love!
- Ingredients:
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ⅔ cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 ½ cups diced yellow onions
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground Mexican chiles such as ancho
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- One 15 oz an black beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- In a small bowl, cover the raisins with the hot water. Let soak.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper to the pan and cook stirring occasionally.
- Cook until the onions just start to turn translucent which takes about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground chili powder and cook while stirring for about 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste to the mix and stir that in cooking for about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the beans, corn, and raisins with the soaking liquid.
- Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- If you plan on serving this with tortillas or over rice now would be the time to stir in the cheddar cheese and cilantro. If using as an empanada filling, cool the mixture completely then stir in the cheese and the cilantro.
Can’t wait to share more love with you later!
Love ya,
JJ
[…] an easy way to feed a crowd? Two words- Taco bar! We served beef, chicken and Black Bean Picadillo as the taco base proteins and supplied a myriad of toppings! Everyone enjoyed making their own […]