Cuban Style Picadillo

Yum.  Perhaps not the wisest choice to heat up the kitchen with temperature hovering near triple digits.  I picked an onion and oregano from the garden for this!  I mentioned this to Terry who suggested pickling onion in lime juice and oregano.  That sounds lovely.

I cooked Jasmine white rice because some dishes just taste better with white rice. 

This is another recipe from America's Test Kitchen.  It's good but I'm going to give it a shot of lime juice when I eat the leftovers.



Serves 6

We prefer this dish prepared with raisins, but they can be replaced with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar added with the broth in step 2. Picadillo is traditionally served with rice and black beans. It can also be topped with chopped parsley, toasted almonds, and/or chopped hard-cooked egg.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 onion, halved and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped coarse
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped coarse
  • 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning

Instructions

1.     1. Toss beef and pork with water, baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse bell pepper and onion in food processor until chopped into ¼-inch pieces, about 12 pulses.
2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chopped vegetables, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until pot is almost dry, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in broth, raisins, and bay leaves and bring to simmer.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, add meat mixture in 2-inch chunks to pot, and bring to gentle simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally with 2 forks to break meat chunks into ¼- to ½-inch pieces, until meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Discard bay leaves. Stir in olives and capers. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and coats meat, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and season with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste. Serve.

Technique

Putting the Punch in Picadillo

Picadillo may be humble fare, but thanks to its mix of warm spices and sweet and tart elements, the flavors of this dish are anything but ho-hum.
SWEET: Adding jammy raisins early in the cooking process allows their sweetness to diffuse evenly.
BRINY AND BRIGHT: Chopped green olives, capers, and a last-minute splash of red wine vinegar add piquant flavors.
SPICED: Warm spices like cinnamon and cumin bring out the meats’ rounder, more complex flavors.

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