Cuban Festival Tamarind-Lime Ground Lamb Stew (Picadillo-Style)

About This Recipe

Picadillo is Cuba's everyday ground-meat stew, traditionally beef simmered with sofrito, olives, raisins and tomato for that classic sweet-salty-savory balance. This festival version uses ground lamb and swaps in tamarind and lime for extra tang, playing off the same sweet-sour backbone that makes picadillo so craveable, while raisins and olives stay in to keep it recognizably Cuban. The technique is about layering: the meat is browned hard first to build a deep base flavor, then the sofrito is cooked into the rendered fat so it picks up all that savoriness before the tamarind, tomato and lime go in to simmer down into a thick, glossy stew. Letting it reduce properly, uncovered, at the end is what keeps picadillo from tasting watery.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1.5 lbground lamb
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1onion(diced)
• 1green bell pepper(diced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 can (15 oz)crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsptamarind concentrate
• 2 tbsplime juice
• 0.33 cupraisins
• 0.33 cupgreen olives(halved)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1bay leaf
• 1 tspfine sea salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the lamb

   Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground lamb and cook, breaking it up, until deeply browned, 8-10 minutes. Drain excess fat, leaving about 1 tbsp.

2. 2

   Build the sofrito

   Add onion and green pepper to the pan and cook 5-6 minutes until soft, then stir in garlic and cumin for 1 minute.

3. 3

   Add tomato and tamarind

   Stir in crushed tomatoes, tamarind concentrate, bay leaf and salt. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

   Taste the tamarind before adding all of it - brands vary in intensity, so start with 1 tbsp and add more to taste.

4. 4

   Add raisins and olives

   Stir in raisins and olives; simmer uncovered another 8-10 minutes until the stew thickens and coats the meat.

5. 5

   Finish

   Remove bay leaf, stir in lime juice, and taste for salt and acidity before serving over white rice.

Variations

• •

  Use ground beef for a more traditional picadillo base if lamb isn't available.

• •

  Add diced potato with the tomatoes and simmer until tender for a heartier version, common in some Cuban households.

• •

  Serve over white rice with fried sweet plantains (maduros) on the side, the classic picadillo pairing.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; picadillo often tastes better the next day. Freezes well for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Frequently Asked Questions