Latin American · main

Picadillo

Picadillo reads umami 6.2, sweetness 5.3 and salinity 4.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Latin American main, about 12 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.2 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 6.5 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 4.7 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.7 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 3.0 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.1 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.2 · Sweetness 5.3 · Salinity 4.7 · Sourness 4.5 · Allium 3.8 · Fruity 3.8 · Funk & Ferment 2.7 · Richness 2.7 · Marine & Briny 2.3 · Bitterness 1.6 · Warm Spice 1.2 · Herbaceous 1.2 · Earthy 1.0 · Nutty 0.7 · Heat 0.6 · Citrus 0.6 · Floral 0.5

What's in it (13)

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 small sweet green peppers, chopped
• 1 (5 1/2 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 -2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
• 1 -2 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Time & effort: about 12 min (7 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 85.8 kcal, 7.2 g protein, 1.4 g fat, 11 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (5 steps)

1. Using a large nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium heat, breaking up with spoon, until browned and drain off any fat.
2. Add onions and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until nearly tender.
3. Add garlic and peppers, and cook, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes or until onions are softened.
4. Mix tomato paste with water and stir into beef mixture along with raisins, olives, capers and Worcestershire sauce (original recipe called for 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce but I found that to be too much).
5. Simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavors then stir in vinegar (I would add the same amount of vinegar as Worcestershire sauce), salt and pepper.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Mediterranean Sweet and Sour Chicken — Mediterranean
• Hallaca Caraqueña — Venezuelan
• Matambre Arrollado — Argentine
• Paksiw Na Pata (Braised Pork Hocks) — Filipino
• Asado Negro — Venezuelan

Keep reading: what umami, sweetness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.