Picadillo

It was beautifully sunny this afternoon, so we sat on the balcony and looked at the new bulbs, which are just poking their heads out from the soil. Half an hour later it snowed. Hmm.

Tea was therefore something wintry and warming - although yours was minus the chilli.

You'll need:

500g minced pork or beef
a large onion, finely diced
a couple of peppers, finely diced
a large potato, cubed
2 tablespoons tomato puree
a tin of tomatoes
a clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
a little sugar or honey
1/4 pint stock
a teaspoon of dried chillies

Fry the mince until it's browned, and then add the onions and garlic. Cook until they've softened, and then add the peppers and diced potato. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Chuck in the tomato puree, tomatoes and the herbs/spices (parsley, cumin, oregano), as well as the chillies. Add half a teaspoon of sugar or honey, and mix everything together well. Add enough stock so that the potatoes and meat are completely covered.

Bring to the boil, and leave to cook for half an hour or so. You'll probably need to add a little extra stock from time to time, to stop it sticking. Once the potato is tender, it's ready to eat.

We had ours with some couscous, but really it's a Latin American dish and deserves some rice on the side, or to be used in a burrito, taco or empanada.