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Tico Arracache you gotta try this!



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Published on Saturday, January 11, 2025






By Melissa Pette



If you’re in Costa Rica, you gotta get hip to arracache. This dish is straight-up fire, healthy and packed with flavor. 


So, what’s a picadillo, you ask? Think of it like this: all the ingredients get chopped up super fine and cooked together.


It’s a staple in Costa Rican homes and all over Latin America. In the U.S., you’d call it meat hash and over in the U.K., they’ve got names like hache or hachy for it. 


Now, about arracache, it’s a plant grown out in the countryside. I’ve seen it around Los Santos in the Cartago Province. You eat the root, which kinda looks like a skinny, light-gray carrot. 


Here’s the deal: the root needs to soak in water for at least a day before you grate it and get it ready to cook. But don’t sweat it, you can grab prepped arracache packages at the local supermarket. 


So, let's go to the kitchen! 









The ingredients you’ll need: 

  • 2 packages of arracache.


  • 1 stick of yellow butter. 


  • 1/2 kilo (about 1 lb) of ground beef.


  • 1 bunch of cilantro. 


  • 2 onions.


  • 3 red sweet peppers.


  • 3 red tomatoes.


  • 1/2 teaspoon achiote (aka red annatto).


  • 1/4 cup vegetable or sunflower oil.


  • 1 bouillon cube.



First, toss it in boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.



Drain it completely and make sure it’s dry. 



Dice the cilantro, onions, red peppers, and tomatoes. 



Heat up some oil in a pan, add the ground beef, and toss in half of the chopped cilantro, tomatoes, red peppers, and onions. Cook it until the meat’s golden brown. 



Put it all together. In a separate pan, melt the butter. Add the cooked meat, dry arracache, and the rest of your chopped ingredients. Throw in the garlic, achiote, and bouillon cube. Stir it all up and let it cook for about 5 minutes so the flavors lock-in. 



Boom! your picadillo arracache is ready!



Serve it with your favorite rice, salad, or just pile it onto some fresh tortillas. 



Pair it with a cold beer, and you’re good to go.

 


Have a Pura Vida weekend!




----------------
Everyone is invited to share their recipes with a horizontal photo of the dish by emailing 
food@amcostarica.com. More Costa Rica's delightful recipes can be found on the AM Costa Rica Food page.





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