I (Cris) call this Ruffolo picadillo here in our home in the US. But if I were in the Philippines, I will just simply call this ginaling or ground meat, the main ingredient in this recipe.
I previously talked about freezing meals and then just take them out and heat them up in the microwave oven when hungry strikes.
But for days when I am not up to eating frozen food, I opt to cook quick meals requiring very little supervision because low heat does it all. I’m actually a big fan of cooking food over low heat (hence, the big love for slow cookers, donabe, and crock pots!) as I think it brings out the flavors of the ingredients. While writing the previous line, I thought of enrolling in a cooking class then I reminded myself I still have graduate school to be completed in May, two continuing education classes this month, and I’m running my tiny learning corner at home in an attempt to teach the twins a thing or two about colors, shapes, and animals.
Okay…back to the recipe.
I make this for lunch or for dinner. It’s best paired with rice and mushrooms cooked in (looooots of) garlic and butter. Best to eat this hot and end your meal with homemade lemon-ginger iced tea.
- 1 lb ground meat (pork or beef)
- 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 medium-sized shallots roughly chopped
- 1 medium-sized sweet pepper (red or yellow) roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup green onions
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper
- Thaw a pound of ground meat (pork or beef) in room temperature. You can choose to use the microwave if you're in a hurry but doing so changes meat texture and flavor so if you have time, skip the microwave.
- Put non-stick pan over low heat. Place meat followed by garlic, shallots, and sweet pepper. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
- Add olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, and soy sauce.
- Continue cooking over medium heat as meat turns brown for another 10 minutes.
- Top with freshly chopped spring/green onions.
- Serve with rice.
