{"id":128,"date":"2026-03-27T16:53:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T22:53:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/?p=128"},"modified":"2026-03-27T16:53:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T22:53:29","slug":"picadillo-de-chicasquil-costa-rican-wild-greens-hash-for-tortillas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/2026\/03\/27\/picadillo-de-chicasquil-costa-rican-wild-greens-hash-for-tortillas\/","title":{"rendered":"Picadillo de Chicasquil (Costa Rican Wild Greens Hash for Tortillas)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Picadillo de Chicasquil (Costa Rican Wild Greens Hash for Tortillas)<\/h1>\n\n\n
\"Traditionelle<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n
\n \n \ud83c\udf2e Costa Rican chicasquil picadillo: <\/strong> tender chicasquil (wild greens) leaves milled into a rustic paste, then simmered with potatoes, dark green chayote saz\u00f3n (chayote squash), seasoned cured beef, achiote, and herbs. Traditionally served warm on tortillas.<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Quick details<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Prep:<\/strong> long prep, mill chicasquil leaves and chayote; dice potatoes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Parboil leaves:<\/strong> 20 to 30 minutes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Centrifuge chayote:<\/strong> 10 to 20 minutes (until noticeably drier)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Simmer to finish:<\/strong> 10 to 15 minutes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n
    \"Picadillo
    Picadillo de Chicasquil (Costa Rican Wild Greens Hash for Tortillas)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Ingredients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • 4 cups chicasquil leaves<\/strong>, picked and rinsed well<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 2 large dark green chayote saz\u00f3n<\/strong> (chayote squash)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 1 kg potatoes<\/strong>, diced<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • $\\frac{1}{2}$ kg cecina<\/strong> (cured beef), cooked and chopped<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Garlic<\/strong>, to taste<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 2 to 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce<\/strong>, to taste<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 1 tbsp achiote<\/strong> (paste or powder)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Lard<\/strong> (or cooking oil), to taste<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • 1 tbsp coriander seeds<\/strong> (culantro en semilla), soaked and ground<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Salt<\/strong>, to taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n

      Instructions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      1) Prep and parboil the chicasquil leaves<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Pick the chicasquil leaves<\/strong>, discarding tough stems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Rinse very well.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and parboil the leaves for 3 to 5 minutes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. Squeeze firmly to remove excess water.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        2) Mill the leaves (stone mill preferred)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Pass the parboiled leaves through a hand mill<\/strong>, preferably a stone mill<\/strong>, until you get a rustic, cohesive green paste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Set aside.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          3) Prep the chayote (mill, then centrifuge to remove water)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          1. Wash and peel the dark green chayote saz\u00f3n<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. Cut in half and remove the core\/seed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          3. Pass the chayote through a mill<\/strong> (rather than grinding) to create fine shreds or a pulpy mash.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          4. Centrifuge<\/strong> the milled chayote to remove water.\n
              \n
            • If you have a salad spinner, spin in batches until the chayote looks noticeably drier.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Alternatively, wrap in a clean cloth and squeeze firmly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              4) Prep the other ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              1. Peel and dice the potatoes<\/strong>, then rinse with cold water<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              2. Cook the cecina<\/strong> with aromatics to taste, then chop<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              3. Soak the coriander seeds<\/strong> in hot water. Let cool, then grind.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                5) Build the saut\u00e9 base<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                1. In a pot, heat lard<\/strong> (or oil).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. Fry the garlic<\/strong> until golden.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                3. Stir in the achiote<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                  6) Combine and finish<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  1. Add the potatoes<\/strong> and stir to coat in the achiote base.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. Add the chopped cecina<\/strong> and ground coriander seeds<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  3. Add the Worcestershire sauce<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  4. Add the milled chicasquil paste<\/strong> and the centrifuged chayote<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  5. Mix well and simmer on low heat for 10 to 15 minutes<\/strong>, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and the mixture is cohesive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  6. Taste and adjust salt<\/strong> and Worcestershire<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    7) Serve<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    1. Serve warm on heated tortillas<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n

                      Serving ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      • Top with pickled onions<\/strong>, lime<\/strong>, or a simple cabbage salad.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Serve alongside rice and beans<\/strong> for a full meal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                        \n\n\n\n

                        Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                          \n
                        • Milling (especially with a stone mill<\/strong>) gives the chicasquil a more traditional texture than grinding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Removing water from the chayote is key. If the mixture looks wet, centrifuge or squeeze the chayote again.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • If you cannot find chicasquil<\/strong>, you can test with tender greens like spinach, but the flavor will be different.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          Picadillo de Chicasquil (Costa Rican Wild Greens Hash for Tortillas) \ud83c\udf2e Costa Rican chicasquil picadillo: tender chicasquil (wild greens) leaves milled into a rustic paste, then simmered with potatoes, dark green chayote saz\u00f3n (chayote squash), seasoned cured beef, achiote, and herbs. Traditionally served warm on tortillas. Quick details Prep: long prep, mill chicasquil leaves and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1078662,"featured_media":131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[9710,37532995,52071303,13789,586,1628657,18666,8845,2832,8499],"class_list":["post-128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-costa-rica","tag-costa-rican-cuisine","tag-costa-rican-recipes","tag-dinner","tag-food","tag-picadillo","tag-potatoes","tag-recipe","tag-recipes","tag-soup"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/ph9wUL-24","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/picadillo-de-chicasquil-costa-rican-wild-greens-hash-for-tortillas-featured.png?fit=1149%2C928&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1078662"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133,"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions\/133"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theartofcostarricancuisine.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}