Take it from the Cubans. Just because it’s hot outside doesn’t mean you have to do without those spicy, hot meals you love.
When the weather warms, the spicier and more flavorful, the better. Serve spicy dishes with cold beverages and refreshing fruit, and you have the perfect tonic to the heat.
Picadillo is one of Cuba’s national dishes. It’s made of ground beef and spices, and it often contains raisins, garlic and hot chilies.
My delicious version has all three, plus capers and green olives as garnishes. I say garnishes because children often don’t like the pungent saltiness of the capers and olives, yet they adore the sloppy Joe quality of the sweet and hot picadillo.
To round out the meal, add rice, bread and fruit. You could make a bowl of coleslaw, but that would not be Cuban, yet it would be a nice complement. For dessert, serve rum raisin ice cream or vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of dark rum on top.
Cuban picadillo with chilies and raisins
The Cuban equivalent of a sloppy Joe, picadillo is a dish that’s quick to throw together, beginning with two cans of tomatoes with green chilies, plus a pound of ground beef round. Chances are, you have the rest of the ingredients on hand: onion, garlic, red wine, oregano, tomato paste and raisins.
To be festive, serve the picadillo over yellow rice, garnished with green olives and capers. To be more down-home, pile it into pita rounds. The sweet, the savory, the salty: It’s all here.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef round (see note)
½ cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1/4 cup dry red wine or water
1/4 cup raisins
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives, optional
2 teaspoons drained capers, optional
Pour olive oil into a large deep skillet or 4-quart saucepan, then heat it over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground beef, and add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring and breaking up the lumps of beef, until beef browns all over, about 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, wine or water, raisins, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and let the picadillo simmer until it thickens, 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon picadillo onto plates, and garnish it with green olives and capers, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Please read our comment policy before commenting.