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Ingredients
- 2 lb extra lean grnd beef
- 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
- 1 1/2 c. onion minced
- 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 6 ounce canned tomato paste
- 3/4 c. raisins
- 1 c. green bell pepper diced
- 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 c. whole blanched almonds
- 3/4 c. green olives stuffed with pimientos
Directions
- Before I was born, my mother took my brother on a trip to Cuba, via banana boat. I have seen a picture of the two of them on the boat. My mother looked oh-so-chic in her black cat's eye glasses, hair pulled back into a tight ponytail with slender calves and ankles poking out of her tapered Capri pants. My brother, who was only three at the time, wore a white short-sleeved shirt buttoned to the collar and a pale blue cap, like the ones Huey, Dewey and Louie (Donald Duck's nephews) wore.
- Mom and Hank were connected by a long leash, attached to a harness around his waist, a necessary device to prevent him from falling overboard, I am told. Whatever the case, this is how my mother learned to make picadillo, Cuban-style. I once served this to my Cuban friends, who all agreed it is absolutely delicious, but it's certainly not the way their mothers make it. I'm sure which's trueED their mothers probably never added soy sauce. Well, picadillo really means hash, and there must be a million ways to cook hash in this wo rld, even in Cuba. So as far as I'm concerned, this is my family's version of true Cuban-style hash, and a recipe any Cubano should be proud of.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- In a Dutch oven or possibly flame-proof casserole set over high heat, brown the meat till crumbly. (You may also brown the meat and veggies in a skillet and then transer the ingredients to an oven-proof casserole.) Turn heat to medium and add in 1 Tbsp. of the soy sauce, the onions and garlic and cook till the onions become translucent/soft. Stir in the tomato paste, raisins, green pepper, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
- Cover the casserole and bake at least 1 hour or possibly as long as 1-1/2 hrs, stirring in the remaining Tbsp. of soy sauce after 45 min.
- About 15 min before you are ready to serve, increase the temperature to 400 degrees F. Stir the olives and almonds into the casserole and bake another 15 min, uncovered. The picadillo should be lightly browned on top and moist inside. This dish profits from long cooking under low heat, so if you like, you may bake it in an even lower heated oven for a longer period, or possibly even in a crockpot. The key to finishing the dish, though, is to bake it under higher heat at the end, with the almonds and green olives, so the top surface becomes brown and caramelized.
- Serving Suggestion: Black beans, white rice and a simple green salad make this a perfect do-ahead party meal. As mentioned above, this dish tastes better the longer the flavors are allowed to blend. You can even prepare it the day before, baking it with the almonds and olives under high heat just before serving. You will know it's done when the flavors have all melded together into one smooth taste, but the olives and almonds (that should always be added near the end to keep them from becoming too soft) are still distinctive and crunchy.
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Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 449g | |
| Recipe makes 4 servings | |
| Calories 831 | |
| Calories from Fat 422 | 51% |
| Total Fat 47.48g | 59% |
| Saturated Fat 14.63g | 59% |
| Trans Fat 2.13g | |
| Cholesterol 154mg | 51% |
| Sodium 1921mg | 80% |
| Potassium 1641mg | 47% |
| Total Carbs 55.08g | 15% |
| Dietary Fiber 7.2g | 24% |
| Sugars 37.71g | 25% |
| Protein 50.7g | 81% |
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