Picadillo

They say there are as many recipes for Picadillo as there are cooks who make it. I do not think so, I'm fairly sure there are more recipes than cooks. I know I never make it the same way twice. yesterday I found two recipes in my mother's recipe file, this is not either one of them. This is how I did it last time.

• 2 Tbsp. Lard (you can substitute vegetable oil, but it will loose something)
• 1 Large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 zucchini, grated
• 1 lb. Ground beef (you can substitute ground poultry, I even used 1/2 lb. firm tofu, and 1/2 lb. tempeh for a vegetarian version once, but beef is best)
• 2 cups canned tomatoes
• 6 oz. Tomato paste
• 2 cups raisins
• 3 Tbsp. Red wine vinegar
• 6 - 10 tsp. Chili powder (I like a sweet chili powder with not too much heat)
• 2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Cumin
• 1 - 2 Tbsp Sweetener (Sugar, Honey, molasses, or some combination)
• A pinch of ground cloves
• 1 Tbsp. Cocoa powder
• 2 Oz. Chocolate (I used bittersweet this time, some times I use unsweetened. You could use dark. You just need to adjust the amount of sweetener.)
• 1 - 3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped

Fry onions, garlic and zucchini in the lard until onion is translucent. Add ground beef and brown well.

Add all remaining ingredients except the peppers and simmer for two hours.

Add the peppers

I serve it in tacos or burritos, or over rice or pasta. I have heard of it being used to stuff peppers or squash, but have not tried this.