Recipes Picadillo Vainica 5.0 (5,827) 2 Reviews Last spring, F&W contributing editor Andrew Zimmern was driving across Costa Rica with his family and stopped in a cafeteria in a small mountain town where he sampled the local picadillo, a traditional ground beef dish. "The beef and green beans play well together, and the easy elegance of this dish will quite simply blow your mind," Zimmern says. Slideshow: Latin American Recipes By Andrew Zimmern Andrew Zimmern Andrew Zimmern is an Emmy-winning and James Beard Award-winning TV personality, chef, writer, and social justice advocate. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on July 10, 2014 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo © Madeleine Hill Total Time: 30 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients 1 tablespoon fennel seed 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup minced shallot 1/4 cup minced cilantro 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 dried hot red chile, such as árbol Kosher salt 1 pound ground beef 3/4 pound green beans, thinly sliced crosswise on a bias 3/4 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice Pepper Yellow rice and lime wedges, for serving Directions In a large skillet, toast the fennel seeds over moderate heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar or spice grinder and let cool, then grind to a powder. In the same skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the shallot, cilantro, garlic, oregano, chile, ground fennel and a generous pinch of salt and cook over high heat until the vegetables are softened, about 1 minute. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until nicely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the beans and stock and cook, stirring, until the beans are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve with yellow rice and lime wedges. Rate it Print