Picadillo is one of the great dishes of Cuba: a fragrant stew of ground beef and tomatoes, with raisins added for sweetness and olives for salt. Sometimes you find potatoes added to the mix for a heartier meal. As my kids are not big on when I add raisins (despite being part Sicilian), I wanted to do something a little less authentic that they would enjoy. Anytime I make something look like tacos and add fixings to the table, they are generally very enthusiastic! If you are trying to be healthy, substitute regular rice or tortillas for cauliflower rice and add in ground turkey instead of the beef. This is very easy and quick to come to the table – perfect for the nights when we are running around as per usual!
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef, lean
1 onion, chopped finely
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
3 tsps. ground cumin
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 bay leaf
½ cup green olives, plus ½ cup olive brine
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 avocados, sliced
2 limes cut into wedges
1 jalapeno, chopped
Sour cream (purely optional)
Steamed rice/Cauliflower rice or corn tortillas for serving
1. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat and place the ground beer and onion in the skillet and cook breaking up the meat with a spoon until the meat is browned after about 5 minutes.
2. Add the red bell pepper and garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, ground cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf and olive brine. Season with salt and pepper. Add about 1/3 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Take the frying pan off the heat and stir in olives and cilantro.
4. Serve the dish over rice topped with avocado and additional cilantro, chopped fresh jalapeno and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with lime wedges.
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