Cuban Picadillo (Cuban Minced Meat)

When I was growing up, there was no way I would ever eat picadillo. Was it bad? Well, no. Was I being a stubborn child? Yes

In hindsight, I probably did it to convince my mom to get me some fast food.

It has now become a weekly meal in my house. It's one of my husbands favorite dishes. I originally got the recipe from a very old book that belonged to my grandmother, Cocina Criolla by Nitza Villapol. This book was to Cubans, what Julia Child's book was to Americans. Everyone had one and the author was a household name. It was wriiten in 1956. She was also the host of one the longest running televison shows in history. It ran from 1951-1997.

I did tweak the recipe a bit to better suit us. In the original recipe, she asks for 3 kinds of ground beef. Realistically, I only have regular ground beef in my house, and it's how I have always had it. She also doesn't add raisins, but my mom has always added them, so there.

Picadillo

1 1/4 lb ground beef

1 medium onion minced

1 green pepper

1-2 cloves of garlic

Olives or capers (optional)
Raisins
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tsp all seasoning (pour a little at a time, and taste in between.)
2/3 can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry cooking wine.


Saute onion, pepper, and garlic in a pan. Once onion is translucent, add the meat and the raisins. Cook on medium-high heat until it starts losing its pink color. Stir continuously so it doesn't stick.

Add the cooking wine and let the meat simmer in it for a few minutes. When almost all the wine is gone, add the tomato sauce, olives or capers. and the rest of the seasoning. Continue stirring, occasionally on medium heat, for about 15-20 minutes.

Serve with white rice.