Picadillo
Picadillo is a meaty, saucy dish found throughout Latin America, often made with ground beef. This Puerto Rican-style picadillo is similar to Cuban and Dominican versions, which rely on sofrito or recaito, a pureed or finely minced base of onions, garlic, mild peppers, cilantro and its more pungent cousin, culantro. (You can purchase premade sofrito, or you can make your own.) But this recipe allows you to skip the sofrito altogether. Another timesaving technique? Make a batch of sazon, the seasoning salt that deepens flavors of meat, vegetables, soups, stews, beans, roasts, eggs and more, and use it in place of the salt and all of the spices listed in the recipe below.
There’s also a vegan version, made with lentils.
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Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (4 ounces to 5 ounces), finely chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper, any color, finely chopped (optional)
- 5 stems fresh cilantro and their leaves, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika (any kind)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes, preferably with no salt added
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup dark or golden raisins (optional)
- 1/4 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, halved (optional)
- Steamed rice for serving (optional)
Directions
Step 1
In a wide skillet over high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the onion and bell pepper, if using, and cook, stirring often, just until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add most of the cilantro — reserving a few leaves for garnish — garlic and ground beef. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, break the ground beef into bits so that it cooks evenly. Stir in the salt, cumin, paprika, oregano and black pepper.
Step 2
Cook the beef until its fat has rendered and it’s brown with a few pink spots, 5 to 8 minutes. (Drain excess fat, if desired.) Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes, using a spoon or spatula to break up any large chunks of tomato. (If the mixture starts to look dry, add a splash or two of water to loosen it.)
Step 3
Stir in the raisins and olives, if using, and simmer until they’ve softened, 3 or 4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, keeping in mind that the raisins add a little sweetness and the olives add salinity and a touch of acidity. Garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves and serve the picadillo hot, with cooked rice, if desired.
Step 4
NOTE: You may replace the onion, bell pepper, garlic and cilantro with 3/4 cup prepared or homemade sofrito (see related recipe).
