Picadillo

Picadillo is a strange little Cuban dish with a ton of flavor. It's simple to make but does take some time to get flavor happy. It is something you can start on the stove and then move the crockpot if you need to. Green olives and raisins are something in this dish that you don't see to often in normal American cooking, however it brings a sweet and salty combination to this dish. As with most Cuban cooking, this recipe starts with sofrito which I posted for you on Monday, knowing that today and Friday I was going to share two of my favorite Cuban dishes with you.
Last year, for my anniversary, my husband and I took the kids to Columbus Ohio and visited the zoo. I have an Aunt that lives near there, along with a friend or two and this great little Cuban restaurant was suggested to us. It was pretty small, having only a few tables inside and out but their food was incredible and I knew it was something that I would have to try and recreate at home.

One Year Ago: Tater Tots
Two Years Ago: Battle of Fats

What You Need:

1 tbs olive oil
1/2 c sofrito
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (5oz) can tomato paste
1 (5oz) jar green olives with pimento
1/2 c raisins
1 tbs oregano
1/2 tbs cumin
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper

What To Do:

In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed deep skillet, add the oil and sofrito over medium high heat. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add in the rest of the ingredients, reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour, but 3 hours is better. If you want to do this in a crock pot, after browning the meat, stir everything together in the crock, set it on low and leave it go for several hours.