Classic Picadillo

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My youngest son, AJ, was lucky enough to go to Cuba this past month.   Cuba is one of those intriguing and mysterious places that I’ve always wanted to visit. As soon as he got home I was hounding him for pictures and all the details about his experience. He is a man of few words, and didn’t find mom cool enough to relay any great stories to. The day after he returned home, the ban to Cuba was reinstated. It’s safe to say that I’m bursting with envy (and maybe a tiny bit of jealousy) that he was able to visit and I can’t!

If I can’t see the culture and experience a new place, then I want to eat the food! Picadillo is what I started craving. We have an old family friend from Cuba so I put in a call to he and his wife to get an authentic Cuban picadillo recipe. They delivered a recipe, let me tell you; it’s impeccable AND simple! Win win.

Cuban Style Picadillo

Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • Dash hot sauce
  • 1/4 cup sherry cooking wine
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 3-4 handfuls green Manzanilla olives,  drained & diced
  • 5 handfuls raisins
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Step one – dice onion and garlic. Sauté about five minutes, until translucent. Add ground beef and brown.

Step two – add Worcestershire and hot sauce. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve over rice or along side fried yuca.