Easy Spanish Picadillo Recipe

This easy Spanish Picadillo recipe is so simple… but to get the best flavour it does need to marinade for a bit. It is literally spicy mince with fried eggs on top. Have fun and let us know how you get on.

Pork mince should be easily available at your local butcher or supermarket. We use it a lot here at SpainBuddy Heights, as it is a sturdy yet economical meat.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 250 grams pork mince
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of hot or smoky paprika
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
• pinch of salt
• olive oil for frying

Method

• Drizzle a little olive oil into a frying pan and throw your garlic cloves in. Don’t peel them though
• Fry over a medium het until the skins are crispy
• Peel the garlic and then mash it in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt
• Mix the paste in with the mince and add the two types of paprika.
• Keep stirring and mixing… and when you think you’ve stirred enough, stir more. Do it with your hands if you like… you want it really well mixed
• Pop into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. I do ours in the morning, and then it’s ready for that evening
• Bring the bowl out of the fridge about half an hour before you’re ready to cook so that it comes up to room temperature
• Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into a large frying pan (perhaps a tablespoon full) and brown the mince
• Keep stirring until it’s cooked. Make sure you break the mince up
• Spoon the mince onto plates
• Stick a bit of leafy stuff on top if you want to make it look pretty
• Serve hot

Tips

Don’t be afraid to drop other ingredients in – this is a rustic dish and designed to be flexible, depending on what’s in your cupboards. Other ingredients you could add are

• Green olives (stoned and halved) – add towards the end of the cooking
• Chopped green peppers or onions – add at start of cooking
• Chopped tomatoes – add as soon as the mince is browned and cook for 5 minutes longer
• Sweetcorn or peas
• Fried egg – it’s great with a couple of fried eggs on top
• I have also added sliced jalapeños and dotted soured cream on top instead of the eggs… but we’re getting more into Mexican territory there – very tasty though! Try grated cheese on top as you serve it too!

If there are any recipes that you would like to see featured – don’t hesitate to ask!

Elle Draper

Elle, along with Alan, is the owner of Spain Buddy and the busy web design business – Spain Web Design by Gandy-Draper.
Born a “Norverner”, she then spent most of her life “Dann Saff” before moving to Spain in 2006. Elle’s loves are Alan, the internet, dogs, good food, and dry white wine – although not necessarily in that order.