Cuban Picadillo
This picadillo from Dennis Perez, 2nd Prize Winner of the Create Cooking Challenge: My Family's Recipe, is simple, versatile, and represents much of the classic foods of my Cuban heritage.
Recipe Ingredients
- - 1-1.3 lbs Lean Ground beef (92-93% lean)
- - 0.75-1 whole bell pepper (green or red)
- - 1 medium white onion
- - 6-8 cloves of garlic, depending on size
- - 8 oz of tomato sauce
- - 1/2 cup manzanilla olives (including the brine)
- - 1/2 cup raisins
- - 1.5 tsp ground oregano
- - 1 tsp ground cumin
- - salt
Recipe Instructions
- In a medium pot over medium heat, add olive oil and allow it to heat up.
- Dice the onion, peppers, and the garlic (or optionally, use a garlic press on the garlic).
- Add the peppers and the onions to the pot - it should sizzle. Add some salt and sweat the onions (~5 minutes).
- Add the garlic, mix, and let sit for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the meat directly into the pot. Add salt, oregano, and cumin. Mix to loosely incorporate the spices and the meat.
- After the meat has browned a bit (~5 mins), add the tomato sauce, raisins, and olives. Mix and allow to cook for at least another 10 minutes.
- Once the meat is an even brown color, it's ready to plate! You can let the meat simmer on low for longer, which will improve the flavor!