Cuban Picadillo

About This Recipe

Picadillo is Cuban comfort food in its purest form — ground beef simmered with tomatoes, sofrito, olives, capers, and raisins in a preparation that reflects Cuba's Spanish colonial heritage. The interplay of savory meat, briny olives, sweet raisins, and tangy capers creates a complexity that belies its humble ingredients. Served over white rice with black beans, it's the quintessential Cuban home meal.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gground beef
• 1 mediumonion, finely chopped
• 1 mediumgreen bell pepper, finely chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 cupcanned crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cupgreen olives, sliced
• 2 tbspcapers
• 1/4 cupraisins
• 1 tspcumin
• 1 tsporegano
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspolive oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the sofrito

   Heat oil in a large pan. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and garlic until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

2. 2

   Brown the beef

   Add ground beef and break up with a spoon. Cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Drain excess fat.

3. 3

   Add tomatoes and spices

   Add crushed tomatoes, cumin, oregano, and salt. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Add olives, capers, and raisins

   Stir in olives, capers, and raisins. Simmer 10 more minutes until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld.

5. 5

   Serve

   Serve over white rice with black beans and sweet plantains.

Variations

• •

  Add diced potatoes for a heartier version

• •

  Make with ground pork instead of beef

• •

  Stuff into empanadas for a portable version

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days. Freezes excellently for 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions