The Estefan Kitchen: Picadillo
I may have promised papa rellena from The Estefan Kitchen yesterday, but laziness took over shortly after the picadillo (which is stuffed inside the mashed potatoes for papa rellena) finished simmering. So instead, there's just picadillo: ground beef simmered with onions, garlic, green peppers and some other seasonings.
Picadillo nights at my parents' house was never a favorite. For some reason, I just never could quite get into it. And this is not a slight against my mother's picadillo, which was a very good version. That said, I actually prefer this version because of the sweetness; the tomatoes play a bit more prominently in the Estefan version than in most other picadillos I've had, and I like it. And if you want even more sweetness, add the optional raisins, which I skipped. (The full recipe is after the jump.)
This recipe was followed to the letter with one big exception: there was no vino seco (cooking wine) or dry white wine anywhere in the house. (We're big red wine drinkers here.) There was, however, a bottle of Corona, which was used instead, to excellent results. And while the recipe calls for white rice and plantains (and a fried egg on top, if you like), we opted for brown rice and steamed broccoli. Have to watch the figure somehow.
The Estefan Kitchen [Penguin Books]
The Estefan Kitchen: Sopa De Platano [MP: South Florida]
Picadillo
Yields 6 servings
4 tsp olive oil
3 lbs lean ground beef
1 green pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
pinch of cumin powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 1/4 c vino seco or dry white wine
1/2 c ketchup
1/2 c raisins (optional)
1/2 c pimento-stuffed Spanish olives
2 tbsp capers (optional)
1. In a large pot, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over med-high heat. Add the ground beef, and brown the meat, stirring occasionally and ensuring that the meat is not scorched. Remove the browned meat and drain any excess fat from the pot.
2. Add the remaining olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Then add the green pepper, onion and garlic, and saute until the onions are translucent.
3. Return the browned meat to the pot, and add the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer the picadillo for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Remove the bay leaves and serve over white rice with platanos maduros (tostones if you prefer) and black beans.
Reprinted with permission from The Estefan Kitchen, Celebra Books 2008.
Comments
What!! Ketchup and no olives, really! My picadillo is much better than this. You probably don't remember, but you ate many a sopa de platano at Illa's house; it was one of her specialities and something she made often.
Posted by: Ana Bolado | November 14, 2008 05:18 PM
So you really think Gloria and Emilio cook? First they have various restaurants were they get their daily food from. Secondly they have a live in maid/cook. I know, I used to work for them. They paid a cook name Pedro to do the book's recipes and soon after fired him. What would be funny is that they get caught by being asked about the specifics of making a Cuban dish. They are just fooling the public simply to make a buck.
Posted by: Frank Hernandez | November 16, 2008 07:30 AM