Cuban Picadillo recipe - Beef Hash of Cuba

courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

The following can be added to white rice or used as filling in the "pastelitos" recipe in the dessert section to make small meat pies. For picadillo you can use ground lean beef or turkey.

1 lb ground meat
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
Pimiento stuffed olives
Raisins
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown the ground meat, onions and garlic. If meat is not too lean, pour out whatever fat you render.

turn heat down to medium low. Add the tomato sauce and wine. While it simmers, chop up the pimiento stuffed olives and add to meat mixture, it is ok to add a little bit of the brine, if you wish. Add the raisins and adjust the seasonings.

I like my picadillo almost dry, not too soupy. Serve over fluffy, white rice. If you like it soupier, just add more tomato sauce and/or wine, if you wish.

For the pastelitos, let the sauce simmer almost to dry, so you will not have a runny mess on your hands.

There is also a Cuban grocery website that sells Cuban-style picadillo in their fish & meat section if you want to try the version with potatoes (different from the meat-only one), click here to visit their site.