About the recipe

This recipe is a perfect choice for everything from tacos to tamales to quesadillas to chiles rellenos, to empanadas, and so on. And it is especially delicious on pasta where it serves as a wonderful Latin American version of Bolognese sauce. There are quite a few ingredients in the recipe, but the only tedious aspect of the preparation is breaking up and browning the ground turkey. But it is an important step, without which the meat will end up in pieces that are too large. Other than that, it's fun and easy to prepare!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces smoked bacon (about ½ cup) cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup very finely chopped white onion
½ cup very finely chopped poblano chile (or substitute bell pepper
1 teaspoon very finely chopped serrano chile (including seeds)
1 bay leaf
1.20 pounds of 93% lean ground turkey
1/3 cup very finely chopped green olives stuffed with pimento
½ cup raisins
¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts
½ teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 grinds black pepper
1 tablespoon cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
1/3 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Directions

1. Saute the bacon chiles and onion. Heat the oil over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until lightly browned, 2 - 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it just begins to brown, about 40 seconds. Add the onion, poblano chile, serrano chile, and the bay leaf and cook until the onion is soft, about 3 - 4 minutes.

2. Cook the turkey and finish the dish. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring to break it up until it is just browned, about 4 - 5 minutes. Add the olives, raisins, peanuts, oregano, cumin, allspice, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, wine, and vinegar and simmer over fairly low heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat as low as it will go and and continue cooking the picadillo for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.