CUBAN BEEF PICADILLO

This Cuban beef picadillo Recipe is a traditional dish made with ground beef, potatoes, onions, garlic, spices, bell peppers, white wine, tomato paste, raisins, olives, and capers.  This recipe calls for more ingredients than I typically use, but it is worth it if you are craving something different.  It is even company-worthy.  For both of these reasons, I made this a double batch.  You can pair it with Cuban black beans, rice, corn tortilla shells, or eat without additional carbs as it already has potatoes and raisins in it. If you want to stretch this recipe out further for a crowd, it could handle 4 potatoes instead of the 2 I used; my pot was just a tad too small to add more in. I prefer to have fewer potatoes to keep the protein ratio higher.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • olive oil
  • 2 small onions, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbl cumin
  • 1 tbl paprika
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped olives with pimentos
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup capers
  • 4 tbl tomato paste
  • ½ cup dry white wine OR chicken stock
  • 2 waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a medium-sized Dutch oven/pot, brown the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Drain excess grease, transfer to other bowl to reserve.
  2. In same pot, heat 2 tbs olive oil over medium heat and cook onions until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about another 1-2 minutes, careful not to burn.
  3. Add bell peppers, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.
  4. Mix in the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes
  5. Add the beef back in, as well as the wine/stock, stirring well. Reduce down for 5 minutes.