Traditional Cuban Picadillo

This recipe has two parts. A sauce called Sofrito needs to be made in order to complete the Picadillo.

Recipes

Sofrito

• 2 T. Cilantro
  
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
  
• 2 green peppers, unseeded
  
• 1 C. Onion, chopped
  
• 2 T. garlic, minced
  

Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. Picadillo

• 2lbs ground beef
  
• 1/2 cup olive oil
  
• 3 C. Sofrito
  
• 6 whole bay leaves
  
• 1/2 C. apple cider vinegar
  
• 2 T. oregano
  
• 2 T. cumin
  
• salt, to taste
  
• 1 packet Sazon Goya seasoning
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1 large potato, sliced and quartered
  
• optional: capers, green olives, and raisins
  

Brown the ground beef in a large pan and drain the excess fat. Stir in the olive oil, sofrito, vinegar, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, salt, Sazon Goya Seasoning, water, and any optional ingredients you choose with the ground beef. Bring the picadillo to a simmer. Allow it to simmer until it reduces to a stew-like consistency when stirred. Add the potatoes and cover. Continue to simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, adding additional water if necessary to prevent the picadillo from reducing too quickly. Once the potatoes are cooked through, remove the lid and allow the picadillo's sauce to thicken enough to where the beef and potatoes are coated, but the sauce is not runny when stirred. Remove the bay leaves. Serve over a bed of white rice. Experience Making this recipe was an entirely new experience for me. I've never made anything Cuban before, and I had absolutely no idea what cumin, Sazon Goya seasoning, or capers were. I was very uncertain if I would enjoy this dish or not. Turns out, I did. It was drier than I pictured it to be, but still enjoyable. While making the sofrito, I learned how to use cilantro. I had never worked with it before so I had no idea what part or parts of it to use. I also learned how to know when potatoes are done cooking. I had guessed before, and it usually turned out to be decent. Its good to know how to actually check for completion though. When I saw raisins and green olives on the optional list for ingredients, I thought that was an odd combination, but I had to try them in the recipe anyway. The olives definitely added a great salty component to the recipe. The raisins, however, didn't make that much of an impact. I ended up halving the recipe since I knew I would be the only one eating it, and that worked out well. I also substituted white distilled vinegar for apple cider vinegar. It didn't seem to make a difference. My roommate and I discovered that the sofrito is not only useful for making picadillo, but it makes a great chip dip. Origins: Picadillo Picadillo is a Spanish dish that is found today in many Latin American countries such as Cuba and Puerto Rico. One of the first times it was served was in 1821 in Mexico. What makes Cuban Picadillo different from regular picadillo is the use of olives in the recipe.