Cuban-Style Picadillo

By MooK

Picadillo is traditionally served with rice and black beans. It can also be topped with chopped parsley, toasted almonds, and/or chopped hard-cooked egg.

Ingredients

• 1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Salt and pepper
• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 onion, halved and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped coarse
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped coarse
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning

Preparation

Step 1

1. Toss beef and pork with water, baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse bell pepper and onion in food processor until chopped into ¼-inch pieces, about 12 pulses.

2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chopped vegetables, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until pot is almost dry, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in broth, raisins, and bay leaves and bring to simmer.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low, add meat mixture in 2-inch chunks to pot, and bring to gentle simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally with 2 forks to break meat chunks into ¼- to ½-inch pieces, until meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

4. Discard bay leaves. Stir in olives and capers. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and coats meat, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and season with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste. Serve.