Picadillo or ginisang giniling is a popular dish in the Philippines. It is often eaten with rice, boiled egg and fried banana on the side. It is a Spanish dish, from the word picar, which means to mince or chop or ground, hence locally know in the Philippines as giniling. Latin America has their own version too. It is popular in Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. Different counties have their own version of picadillo, but is mostly made with ground pork or beef as main ingredients. It is served over rice, tacos, pastries, tortillas, or a filing for empanada. In the Philippines, it is served often with rice, fried saba (banana) and boiled egg.
As everyone knows, I have been staying away from pork and beef for several years now, and mostly preferred chicken, turkey and fish as my main source of meat. But it doesn't stop me from eating certain dishes that I love. I grew up eating picadillo, my mother always cook it, and so this is comfort food for me. So I made a little experiment, as usual, and substituted ground turkey instead of ground pork for my picadillo dish. Below is my recipe.
Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
2 pcs medium size potatoes, cut into small squares
2 pcs medium size carrots, cut into squares
1 pc bell pepper, cut into small squares
1/2 cup green beans, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup green peas
1 can tomato sauce or 2 pcs plum tomatoes
1 pc small onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
Procedure
In a saucepan, sauté garlic, onion and tomato (if using it). Add ground turkey in a few minutes. Cook for about 10 minutes or when the turkey is golden brown.
Add potatoes, carrots, green beans and tomato sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Add bell pepper, raisins, green peas and salt and pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve over rice and boiled egg and fried banana on the side.
