Easy Picadillo Recipe

 

I've come to the conclusion that I love...love...LOVE making comfort foods! I could probably eat stews, soups, rice, and pasta every night if my hips would allow it ;-) I've ways been a big fan of Picadillo growing up because it was a meal my grandmother made regularly. I know the kids like rice and thought it would be a great meal for them since the meat is so small in size that Daniel would have no problem chewing it! He is now 100 percent on table foods too! 

  

I could have easily called my grandmother, but I have wanted to try out a new cookbook I recently purchased called Sabor! A Passion for Cuban Cuisine. Let me preface this by telling you that one of my biggest guilty pleasures is the Real Housewives franchise...there’s nothing better than some mindless TV once the kids are in bed. So when Ana from The Real Housewives of Miami tweeted about her cookbook I thought why not...so I bought it and it actually reminds me of a lot of the recipes my grandmother always makes.

I decided to try the Picadillo recipe and it was great! Not only did it have such an authentic flavor, it was sooo quick and easy to make! The only thing I changed was omitting the raisins, potatoes, and capers because I have never been fond of raisins in my Picadillo and I didn’t have potatoes or capers on hand. 

Here's the recipe from Ana’s book and the changes I made:

Ingredients: 

• Olive oil 
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 small to medium chopped onion
• 1 minced green bell pepper
• 1 pound of ground sirloin or any ground beef
• ½ cup of dry white cooking wine (I only used ¼ cup)
• 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup of raisins (optional)
• ¼ cup of pimento-stuffed olives chopped or whole
• 2 tablespoons of capers (optional)
• 2 medium red potatoes chopped and fried (optional)

First, I drizzled a little olive oil in a medium pot (or large skillet) over medium-high heat. Once it was hot I sautéed the onions, garlic, and peppers until tender. Making sure the oil is still very hot I put the ground beef into the pot breaking it up into small chunks until browned and no longer pink. Then you can drain any liquid in the pot.

Next I added the wine, tomato sauce, salt and pepper then reduced the heat to low. This is where I changed the recipe a smidge and rather than simmering it for 20 minutes, I let it sit on my stove’s lowest setting for about 2 hours. My grandmother once told me that all dishes must cook low and slow in order for the flavors to combine. I served it over a bed of white rice and it was even better the next day!

It’s Picadeasy :)


                        


*This recipe was adapted from Ana Quincoces Rodriguez’s cookbook, Sabor! A Passion for Cuban Cuisine: Picadillo, pg. 144