A Life in Food by real-life Chef Cheryl Bennett
Picadillo is Spanish for “hash” (or “mince”). Essentially, this is a Cuban version of the good old American mélange, eaten on its own or used as a filling for empanadas. Spanish influences, specifically Andalusian, are obvious due to the addition of olives and raisins. Picadillo is often served topped with hard-cooked or fried eggs and is usually accompanied by fried plantains.
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My banana pepper plants have been rather prolific and for this I am grateful. As most of you who are regular visitors to this little space already know, I went a little overboard in planting. I have a tendency to overdo things and this was no exception.
Spending so many years living in an apartment with zero outdoor space, I may have gone a little crazy when I realized that I could grow some of my own food. This had been a goal of mine for a very long time (growing food, not going crazy… that ship has sailed).
I am fascinated by the entire process of planting a seed, taking care of it and watching it grow into something that will actually feed you.
The very first time I had a banana pepper was on a pizza, my Freshman year in college. A small group of us had descended on the pizza place next to campus. We were there under the pretense of “studying” I’m sure. There were pool tables, dart boards (which I became quite skillful at playing), air hockey tables; all the things one thinks of when looking for an appropriate place to “study”.
Anyhow, there we were and one of the guys went to order our pizza and when the waitress came to the table and set it down in front of us, I noticed that it had peppers on it. Not wanting to draw any attention to myself, I dug right in but in my head was this little voice shouting “are you nuts?!”.
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As many of you are fully aware, I have an exploding tomato population. I went a bit “Little House on the Prairie” thinking I needed to sow all my seeds to get me through the long, hard winter on the farm apparently. Well, now… I am reaping what I have sown. PUN. FULLY. INTENDED.
It’s mass chaos back there. I think the tomatoes get together in some sort of secret society at night while I’m sleeping, plotting to overthrow me. One day I may wake up to them all crouched down waiting to pounce (think: Lord of the Flies). OK, clearly I’ve gone off on a tangent……
In my continuing effort to avoid turning my kitchen into the sweltering fires of hell, I decided that this time I would cheat a little. Just a little, and it’s for the greater good. The heat index is hovering in the triple digits while beads of sweat are pooling at the nape of my neck. The least entertaining thought at this moment is “let’s fire up the oven”.
Store-bought roast chicken: In the winter months, this would be considered sacrilege… but in the blistering heat of summer, it is sweet salvation!
As if buying the chicken wasn’t enough, the food processor is going to do the majority of the work! Yep, this might be the perfect summer recipe. The amount of work involved barely even registers. If you don’t own a food processor it isn’t the end of the world, just a bit of chopping & grating.
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Last I checked April showers bring May flowers, right? Well, someone missed the mark on that… The weather here in New York has been unusual to say the least. We had 80 degree days in March, freezing temps in April and it feels like it’s been raining for weeks…
Chilly, gray days make me want a bowl of something good. I had a quart container of “liquid gold” in the refrigerator that had been giving me the stink eye every time I opened the fridge… It felt neglected, and rightfully so.
A few weeks back, I had braised some chicken, strained the liquid and set it aside for another use. That is liquid gold. It is intensely flavored, uber-chicken-y goodness and while looking around the kitchen I realized I had almost everything I needed for tortilla soup (otherwise known as Mexican penicillin).
So, with a quick trip to get an avocado and a lime it was time to get cooking…
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