Picadillo Cubano (Cuban Ground Beef)
This recipe is a family favorite; it's very delicious, flavorful and simple to make. I really hope you enjoy it! Rates and Reviews are very much appreciated.
This recipe is a family favorite; it's very delicious, flavorful and simple to make. I really hope you enjoy it! Rates and Reviews are very much appreciated.
- Carbohydrate 9.7837821476576 g
- Cholesterol 85.048569375 mg
- Fat 28.4242573023602 g
- Fiber 0.72166214750732 g
- Protein 18.3880007628289 g
- Saturated Fat 10.7670404212046 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (143g)
- Sodium 77.8255148033847 mg
- Sugar 9.06212000015027 g
- Trans Fat 7.26355130570382 g
- Calories 370 calories
Step-by-step
- In a 10" skillet, combine tomato sauce, olives, raisins, and fresh garlic; (green peppers & onions if desired).
- Cook sauce ingredients for 3 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then add ground beef; continue cooking for 8 - 10 minutes.
- Let stand for 1 - 2 minutes, stir and serve as tacos or with rice.
- Cook sauce ingredients for 8 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, then add ground beef; continue cooking for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Let stand for 1 - 2 minutes, stir and serve as tacos or with rice.
Simmering tomato sauce, garlic, and aromatics before adding raw beef concentrates the liquid base by roughly twenty percent, preventing excess moisture from boiling the meat instead of browning it. When scaling this mixture up for larger gatherings, use a wider 12-inch or 14-inch skillet rather than crowding a standard pan, ensuring surface evaporation happens quickly enough to build savory fond without overcooking the protein. Ground beef exceeding fifteen percent fat content will release substantial rendering; drain excess grease immediately after the 15-minute cooking window to keep the final texture glossy rather than oily. Green bell peppers and yellow onions release water as they soften, so dice them to uniform 1/4-inch cubes to guarantee they integrate seamlessly into the sauce during the initial simmer.
Cuban picadillo relies heavily on the tension between sweet dried raisins and briny Spanish olives stuffed with pimento. Macerating the red raisins in a splash of warm water for ten minutes before tossing them into the skillet plumps the fruit and prevents them from absorbing precious moisture directly from the tomato base. Slicing the olives rather than leaving them whole distributes their salty punch evenly across every single bite, pairing well with the natural umami of ground beef.
As a staple of Caribbean home cooking, picadillo adapts readily to pantry inventory and seasonal changes. Leftovers keep safely in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to four days, and reheating the mixture gently on the stove with a tablespoon of water restores its original loose texture.
