Cuban Style Picadillo

Picadillo is common is most Latin cuisines, although it can vary from one culture to the next. The recipe presented here is for a Cuban style Picadillio, which I decided to make after my kids started asking for Cubano sandwiches but I wanted to try something using beef rather than pork because I’d just finished making grilled pork chops. This is colorful dish that goes well over rice or can be served beside mashed potatoes. If you opt for rice, you don’t have to get fancy and make Spanish rice, just simple white rice and let the Picadillo sauce do the rest.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground beef – lean
  • 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 oz olive oil
  • 0.5 onion – diced
  • 0.5 green bell pepper – diced
  • 1 butternut squash – peeled and diced
  • 6 cloves garlic – minced
  • 16 oz water
  • 4 oz red wine
  • 3 TBL hot sauce – like Louisiana
  • 1.5 tsp Sazon seasoning – or 1 package of store bought
  • 1 TBL fresh parsley – chopped
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 0.5 tsp onion powder
  • 0.5 tsp ground cumin
  • 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 oz. Spanish-style olives – sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt – or to taste

Process

  1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting
  2. Saute the vegetables: Heat a cast iron Dutch oven on Medium until warm, then add the olive oil and allow to warm. Next, add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and only cook until fragrant, ~2 – 3 mins and set aside. S
  3. Cook ground beef in same pot until browned, then drain.
  4. Add back the sauteed vegetables and pour in tomato sauce, water, cooking wine, and hot sauce.
  5. Stir in Sazon seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, pepper, and bay leaf.
  6. Bring to a boil them reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, until slightly thickened, ~10 minutes.
  7. Add olives and squash and simmer~45 mins. While simmering season to taste with salt. The stock will thicken but don’t let it get too dry. If necessary, add more water. You need to cook long enough for the vegetables to soften.
  1. You can saute the squash with the other vegetables to give it a grilled texture but its your call.
  2. To make a Mexican version, substitute 1 lb of diced potatoes for the squash, and Serrano pepper for the bell pepper. You can also add two diced carrots.
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