All in one. Atacama Salt + Chiloé Pepper

The Chilean Pacific island of Chiloé is a small natural paradise. It is the northernmost of the numerous Tierra del Fuego islands. Mild climate, fertile soils and high rainfall promote lush vegetation on Chiloé. Besides fishing and tourism, agriculture is one of the most important revenues of the "Chilotes". 

An absolute botanical peculiarity of the island is the Canelo tree, whose pepper fruits are a fiery taste experience - the Chiloé pepper. Botanically speaking, chiloé pepper is probably more of a chili than a pepper; in terms of taste, the chiloé with its fruity note and slightly anaesthetic pungency is probably somewhere in between.

Harvested in quantities of only about 2 tons per year, collected and dried by around 50 families, Chiloé pepper is a rare rarity. The dried fruits vary in colour from beige and various shades of red to almost black and remind a little of small raisins in shape. The fruity, hot and intense Chiloé pepper harmonizes perfectly with meat dishes, fish and hearty dishes.

The major difference of the Atacama Salt is that it is exclusively extracted from a million year old underground brine reserves below the Atacama Desert in South America– one of the most dry and sterile environments on Earth. After mineral-rich water is pumped upwards from beneath the desert crust, Atacama salt grains are extracted in a natural, solar-driven process. The sun itself causes the water to evaporate, yielding the naturally occurring salt containing both sodium chloride and potassium chloride. Being a one-grain sea salt lowers the sodium impact in food products without sacrificing on flavour or functionality, which is why it performs and tastes just like ordinary salt.

This unique grain, with only 65% Sodium Chloride, radically lowers the sodium impact in food. But the same grain also contains 30% Potassium Chloride, a mineral appreciated by both doctors and health authorities around the world. The fact that potassium and sodium are both present within the same grain is what makes Atacama salt unique and why it performs better than regular salt.

Picadillo: Mexican-Style Recipe

Picadillo (pee-cah-DEE-yo) combines ground or finely chopped beef with vegetables (and sometimes fruit) for a versatile stew enjoyed throughout Latin America. Depending on the region and people´s personal customs, picadillo serves as a main dish, often accompanied by rice and beans, or as a filling for empanadas, chiles rellenos, tamales, tacos, stuffed potatoes, and more. Start with a basic recipe that you can customize to your taste with seemingly endless serving suggestions and variations.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion (white or purple, thinly sliced or chopped)
• 2 jalapeño peppers (seeded and diced)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic (peeled and diced)
• 4 medium tomatoes (seeded and diced)
• 8 green olives (pitted and quartered)
• 2 tablespoon liquid from olive jar
• 1/4 cup raisins (softened by soaking in warm water for 20 minutes)
• 1 poblano chili or green bell pepper (seeded and chopped)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 small cone piloncillo or 1 teaspoon brown sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon molasses
• Atacama Salt + Chiloé Pepper to taste 
• Optional: 2 potatoes (peeled and cubed) plus 1/4 cup oil

Steps to Make It

1. Drizzle the oil into a large skillet and heat it over medium-high until the oil starts to shimmer.

2. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften. Move them to one side of the skillet.

3. Put the ground beef in the cleared area of the skillet and use a spatula to separate it into a few large chunks. Let it cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes.

4. Break the beef into smaller pieces and toss them around in the pan, combining the meat with the vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook for another 7 or 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef starts to brown but some pink remains.

5. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

6. Add the remaining ingredients and decrease the heat to low; continue to cook for another 10 to 12 minutes or until the tomatoes and onions begin to fall apart and combine with the other ingredients.

7. Optional: Fry the potatoes in the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, flipping occasionally until the potatoes turn evenly brown. Drain the potatoes on paper towels or brown paper, then fold them into the beef mixture.

Tips

• Serve picadillo as a main dish with rice and beans or mashed potatoes.
• Fold a spoonful of picadillo into a hot corn tortilla for an instant (and delicious) taco.
• Stuff chiles rellenos with picadillo.
• Top a tostada with a spoonful of picadillo and a little cream or crumbled cheese.
• Use picadillo as the filling for savory empanadas.
• Serve picadillo over spaghetti or toss it with a smaller shaped pasta such as orecchiette or cavatappi.
• Use picadillo as the filling for a pot pie or the base for a shepherd’s pie.
• Picadillo leftovers make delicious mix-ins for scrambled eggs or macaroni and cheese.

Recipe Variations

• Use ground pork instead of ground beef, or half pork and half beef.
• Add more vegetables, either to make it healthier or to stretch it to feed more people. Try diced carrots, green peas, chopped green beans, or corn kernels.
• Use canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh.
• Add a little dried oregano to your picadillo at the same time as (or instead of) the cumin.
• Stir in some finely chopped fresh Italian parsley right before serving for a fresh green flavor note.
• Cook the cubed potatoes in with the rest of the ingredients instead of frying them first.
• Use dried cranberries instead of raisins for a tart accent flavor.