A tangy tamarind-lime spin on Cuban picadillo, the sweet-savory ground meat stew built for spooning over rice.
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.
Serves 4
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.
Add onion and green pepper to the pan and cook 5-6 minutes until soft, then stir in garlic and cumin for 1 minute.
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.
Stir in raisins and olives; simmer uncovered another 8-10 minutes until the stew thickens and coats the meat.
Remove bay leaf, stir in lime juice, and taste for salt and acidity before serving over white rice.
Drain the fat after browning the lamb, since lamb renders more fat than beef and can make the stew greasy if you skip this step.
Tamarind concentrate brands vary widely in sourness - taste and adjust in small increments rather than dumping it all in at once.
Let the stew simmer uncovered at the end; picadillo should be thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon, not soupy.
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.
Refrigerate up to 4 days; picadillo often tastes better the next day. Freezes well for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Picadillo has roots in Spanish colonial cooking and spread across Latin America, with the Cuban version distinguished by its sweet-savory mix of raisins and olives against a tomato-based sofrito.
Yes - mix 2 tbsp lime juice with a teaspoon of brown sugar as a rough substitute, though the flavor won't be quite as deep and fruity.
Cut back on raisins next time, or balance it now with an extra squeeze of lime juice and a pinch more salt to bring back savoriness.
Yes - picadillo reheats beautifully and actually improves in flavor after a day in the fridge, making it a good make-ahead dish for gatherings.
Per serving (320g / 11.3 oz) · 4 servings total
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