Picadillo

This recipe is for Filipino style picadillo, which has ground beef and potatoes and onions like other various Latin picadillos, but is brothy and soupy and eaten with rice. (Fun fact - Filipinos pronounce the L in the Spanish double-L, so Filipino picadillo is peek-ah-DEEL-yo, not peek-ah-DEE-yo. Which is notable because if I order picadillo tacos at a Mexican place, I sound like a rube, because I have a hard time remembering it's pronounced differently.)

This, along with Filipino style pork chops and onions, is my number one comfort food from childhood. 

All households seem to make it a bit differently. Even my mom and dad make it differently (and they are equally delicious!) but this is how my dad makes it.

Brown about 1/2 lb lean or extra lean ground beef. Drain the obvious fat, but try to leave most of the juices in there, along with a little of the fat. 

Finely chop half a medium/small onion and 2 garlic cloves. 

And dice a peeled, small/medium potato. This is half of a medium-large one. 

Push the meat to one side and start sauteing the onions. Once they're a little soft, add the garlic and stir it all together.

Add the potatoes then add about 1 1/2 cups water. It should cover everything well, but not by much. Add more water if necessary.

This was the surprise ingredient for me, watching my dad cook this. He doesn't use beef bouillon, he uses chicken, which might explain why my previous attempts did not turn out as well. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons, but you might have to add a little more after tasting. Throw in some pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon patis (fish sauce). Taste it. You may need to add additional chicken powder or salt. At this stage, my mom usually adds a diced fresh tomato, but dad doesn't. 

Cover and simmer about 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Taste again at the end, the potatoes kind of soak up the salt, so you may need to add more. 

Ladle over a bowl of hot rice and try not to burn your tongue as you dig in.