Picadillo is Cuban home food, a savory stew of ground meat and spices, with the unusual addition of raisins (which isn’t really that odd once you taste it).
This dish is traditionally made with beef, but I tend to use ground turkey more often. A friend gave us ground elk, and I used that, too. I think ground venison would be tasty in this stew, as well.
Picadillo Recipe
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds ground meat like turkey, beef or elk, or a mixture
2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes or 2-3 large tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch each of nutmeg and clove
2 teaspoons cumin
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted stuffed olives, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions:
- Set a large pan over medium-high heat and put the olive oil in to shimmer. Add onions and let cook about 10 minutes, or until they soften. Add garlic and stir for about a minute.
- Add ground meat to the pan let it brown, breaking up the meat with a spatula. Add salt and pepper to build flavor.
- Add tomatoes, vinegar and spices, stirring to combine. Lower the heat, cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
- When the tomatoes have broken down, taste the stew and add a little bit of salt and pepper. Stir in the olives and raisins. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more of the spices, and vinegar, if needed. Remove the bay leaves and serve with rice.
Picadillo comes together quickly and makes a nice quick dinner, but it’s even better the next day. Plan for leftovers and enjoy a super-flavorful dish of picadillo during your week.
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