I was very intrigued by one ingredient in this recipe when I first saw it: the alcaparrado. I had never heard of it before, but apparently it’s a mixture of green olives, capers, and pimentos (all favorites of mine). I found alcaparrado very easily in my supermarket, so I decided to give this dinner a try. I definitely changed the recipe up a bit (partly on purpose and partly by mistake – I’ll explain a little later!). My version was very good though, so I’m sticking to it!
Start with the beef…
- Add 1 pound of ground beef to a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Break up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned.
- Meanwhile, chop up 1 onion, 1 red bell pepper, and 3 cloves of garlic.
- Add the veggies to the beef.
- Stir to combine and cook for about 4 minutes.
- While those veggies soften, dice up 2 plum tomatoes and mince up some fresh cilantro.
- After the four minutes have passed, add the beef mixture to your slow cooker using a slotted spoon (to remove excess fat).
- Add the tomatoes and cilantro.
- Pour in 1 cup of tomato sauce. (I used a spicy tomato sauce I had on hand from a local caterer. Yum!)
- Add 1 cup water.
- Next add 1.5 cups of the alcaparrado. (This was my “accidental revision” to the recipe. I added waaaay more than called for. When I realized, I picked some out (and ate it, of course!). Despite the error, I really liked the final product, so I think I’ll go with this much every time!)
- Now, add your seasonings. I used 2 bay leaves, 1.5 teaspoons cumin, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and some s&p.
- Pour in a little of the brine from the alcaparrado.
- Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
When it’s finished cooking, you can eat as is (like we did), or serve over rice. Either way, enjoy!
Slow Cooker Beef Picadillo (serves 6)
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
- ⅓ cup cilantro, minced
- 1 cup spicy tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1½ cups alcaparrado, reserving ¼ cup of the brine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1½ teaspoons cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Add the ground beef to a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Break up with a wooden spoon and cook until browned.
- Add the onion, red pepper, and garlic to the beef.
- Stir to combine and cook for about 4 minutes.
- After the four minutes have passed, add the beef mixture to your slow cooker using a slotted spoon (to remove excess fat).
- Add the tomatoes and cilantro.
- Pour in the spicy tomato sauce.
- Add the water.
- Next add the alcaparrado.
- Now, add all of the remaining seasonings.
- Pour in the reserved brine from the alcaparrado.
- Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
- When it’s finished cooking, remove the bay leaves.
- Eat as is, or serve over rice.
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