Recipe for 4 people
Bring the flavors of Costa Rica to your own home by cooking this traditional Costa Rican recipe of Picadillo de Papa with Tortillas.
INGREDIENTS
For the Tortillas
2 cups pre-cooked white corn flour (P.A.N Pre-Cooked white maize meal)
2,5 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
For the Picadillo de Papa
5 big potatoes
250 gram of ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 chopped red pepper
A bit of salt
1 cup water
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Lizano Salsa* or Worcestershire Sauce
Preparation for the tortillas
1. Pour the cornflour and salt and add the water into a bowl slowly while steering.
2. Knead with your fingers until a smooth dough is formed and let rest for 3 minutes.
3. Role the dough into small balls.
4. Press the balls with a tortilla press or between two cutting boards (place plastic or baking paper to prevent the dough from sticking to the boards).
5. Bake the tortilla in a frying pan without oil on both sides until it turned a bit brown, but not too long and not with high fire, because then the tortilla gets too hard and dry.
6. Keep warm under a cloth until you are ready with the picadillo de papa.
Preparation for the picadillo de papa
1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes. Chop the onion and red pepper.
2. Add the chopped potatoes to a pan with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 min until cooked but not too soft.
3. Heat up the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion with the red pepper on a low fire. After 10 min, add the ground beef and mix well.
4. Once the meat is cooked, add the boiled potatoes, Lizano Salsa or Worcestershire Sauce, and salt to your taste.
Serving
Serve the picadillo de papa in a tortilla with a nice fresh salad on the side. It is also a nice snack to serve at a party or to eat for lunch.
Salsa Lizano is a sauce from Costa Rica with a very special flavor. It is not spicy and can be used for a variety of dishes, especially Gallo Pinto. In our upcoming newsletter (March 2019) we will explain more about this special sauce. As in many countries, you can not buy it, so you can use Worcestershire sauce as a substitute.
Questions
Do you have any questions about this dish or Costa Rica? Do not hesitate to contact us.