My mother’s picadillo recipe had raisins, olives, and green pepper. That is the classic Cuban style, but those three ingredients are banned from all Sueiro versions of this staple dish. I enjoy each those ingredients on their own, but those flavors clash if mixed in with ground beef and tomato sauce. And I decided that if I didn’t like it, neither would my kids.
So…no way, José!
Picadillo was a frequent quick, mid-week meal piled onto a bed of white rice and often topped with a fried egg. If I had some ripe plantains to fry on the side, that made for a Cuban feast. I could add my mom’s amazing fried corn fritters but, though tempted, let’s save that for another day.
Maggie’s Picadillo
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pound 80/20 ground beef
- 1 pound 90/10 ground beef
- 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 or 2 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon Dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Sauté onion and garlic in a little olive oil until translucent.
- Add the meat and brown.
- Add onion and garlic back into the pan with the meat. Add all the spices and tomato sauce. Stir well, cover and lower heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Serve over white rice. Fried plantains and avocado salad on the side.