By The college orientation went well. Mama drove me to TU Monday morning at seven, dropped me at the visitors’ lobby, and went home. I stayed in the dorms Monday and Tuesday nights with the other incoming freshmen for the orientation program. I met four people I am going to be in classes with. I met three of my professors-to-be. I registered for classes. I registered to vote. The dorm I am in this fall is Sharp Hall. The roommate is a girl named Priya from Houston who is also a creative-writing major.
The recipe Sunday was easy Cuban picadillo from an A Family Feast post. Ground beef cooked with sofrito (the Cuban version: olive oil, onion, bell pepper, garlic), raisins, green olives, capers, tomato sauce, cumin, oregano, bay leaf. Served over white rice with black beans on the side.
The math: ground beef $1.99, raisins $0.50 worth, green olives $1.99 (used a quarter of the jar), capers $0.30 worth from the jar I bought a year ago, tomato sauce, vegetables. Total: about $6.40 for three meals.
The combination of raisins and olives and capers in the same sauce is the Cuban move. The sweetness of the raisins balances the salty olives and capers, and the cumin ties everything together. The list of countries the kitchen has crossed is now ten.
Mama said, eating, baby, you are going to take this kitchen to college. I am.
The recipe is below. The trick is the raisin-olive combination — do not skip either.
Easy Cuban Picadillo
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Build the sofrito. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Brown the beef. Add the ground beef to the skillet, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink remains, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Season and add sauce. Stir in the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in the tomato sauce and nestle in the bay leaf. Stir everything together.
- Add the briny-sweet mix. Fold in the sliced olives, capers, and golden raisins. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes, until the sauce thickens and the flavors meld together.
- Finish and serve. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve over white rice, stuffed into empanadas, or with warm crusty bread. Leftovers get even better the next day.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 23g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 13g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 610mg