Best Cuban Picadillo Recipes

CLASSIC CUBAN-STYLE PICADILLO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir garlic, onion, and green bell pepper in the hot oil until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Crumble ground beef into the skillet; cook and stir until browned completely, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir olives, raisins, capers, tomato sauce, sazon seasoning, cumin, sugar, and salt through the ground beef mixture.
• Cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until the mixture is heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.

EASY CUBAN PICADILLO

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook and crumble beef with pepper and onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, olives, raisins and vinegar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until raisins are softened, 5-6 minutes., Serve with rice. If desired, top with fresh cilantro to serve.

CUBAN PICADILLO EMPANADA AND CILANTRO CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• For the filling: Heat the oil in a large saute pan set over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring to break up the turkey, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the turkey to a bowl and keep the fat in the pan. Add the chili powder, coriander, cumin, garlic, onions and bell peppers, and cook until soft and fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the meat back to the pan and stir to incorporate. Add the tomato puree, raisins, capers, olives, thyme and bay leaf, and cook until all of the flavors come together and the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Season with the lime juice, salt and pepper. Cool the filling completely.
• For the dough: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, masa harina, baking powder and salt. Stir in the melted butter. Gradually add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water, and work it in with your hands to incorporate; the dough should be easy to handle and not sticky. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Lightly flour a rolling pin and a clean surface. Divide the dough in half. Refrigerate half of the dough and roll out the other half of the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Using a 4-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out 10 circles of dough. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush the edges with the egg wash and then fold the dough to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle. Tightly seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• For the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, add the crema, cilantro and lime juice. Mix thoroughly and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.
• Place the empanadas on the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with some egg wash. Using a fork, prick a few holes in the tops of the empanadas for the steam to escape. Bake until the empanadas are golden brown, 30 minutes.

CUBAN-STYLE PICADILLO

Steps:

• Place the potatoes into a large pot with enough water to cover; season with salt. Bring the water to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, place a cover on the pot, and cook the potatoes at a simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir the onion, green bell pepper, and garlic in the hot oil until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.
• Crumble the ground beef into the onion mixture, breaking the meat into smaller pieces as you mix; cook and stir until the beef is completely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain as much fat from the mixture as possible.
• Stir the red wine, tomato sauce, olives, capers, golden raisins, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the ground beef mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a simmer until the wine had reduced significantly, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Peel the cooled potatoes and cut into chunks.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the potatoes in the hot oil until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Gently fold the cooked potatoes into the simmering ground beef mixture; cook together 5 minutes.

CUBAN PICADILLO

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaves and saute until onion is soft, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes.
• Add ground beef to skillet and cook until browned. Once the meat is browned, carefully away from the flame, tilt pan and remove excess fat with a large spoon.
• Add the white wine and stir for another minute. Then add the chopped cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, pimento stuffed Spanish olives, raisins, dried oregano, cumin and cayenne pepper. Simmer over low heat for another 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve warm:
• As a filling for empanadas or tacos
• Over white rice with fried plantains or black beans
• With a side salad and black beans
• To make Picadillo soupier for serving over rice, add additional wine, chicken or beef stock.

CUBAN PICADILLO

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook onions in oil over low heat for 15-20 minutes or brown, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker., In the same skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Add to slow cooker. Combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic and seasonings; pour over top. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until heated through., Place raisins in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water; let stand for 5 minutes. Drain. Stir the green pepper, olives, jalapeno and raisins into the slow cooker. Cover and cook 30 minutes longer. Serve with rice.

CUBAN-STYLE PICADILLO

Steps:

• Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaves; sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add beef; sauté until cooked, breaking up with back of fork, about 7 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer until picadillo thickens, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves. Serve picadillo warm.

PICADILLO (CUBAN BEEF HASH)

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add beef and garlic; cook and stir until the beef is crumbly and no longer pink. Place cooked beef in a mesh strainer to drain off the grease.
• Return beef to the pan and add the tomato sauce, green olives, and olive brine. Season with garlic salt, garlic powder, adobo seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

CUBAN PICADILLO

Steps:

• Mash the salt, pepper and garlic together in a mortar until well blended.
• Lightly brown this mixture in the lard/oil with the pepper and the onions until the onions become translucent.
• Add the tomato sauce and let it simmer for a minute.
• Add the vinegar.
• Add the meat and cook for 5-minutes.
• Add the cooking wine, olives and raisins.
• Simmer until liquid is absorbed (I usually let this simmer for around an hour or so on low, so the flavors meld together).
• Serve with rice and beans and a nice cold beer.
• Tastes even better the next day!

CUBAN POTATO CROQUETTES WITH BEEF PICADILLO (PAPAS RELLENAS DE P

Steps:

• First prepare the picadillo. In a large bowl using your hands mix beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic, olives, raisins, capers, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, allspice and some pepper. Cover with plastic and leave at room temperature for 1/2 hour for the flavours to mix.
• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the meat mixture with a splash of vinegar and a pinch of salt. Cook, while breaking up the meat frequently. If the meat starts to brown lower the heat, and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. The picadillo should be juicy, but not soupy.
• Boil the potatoes until very tender. Drain and let cool slightly. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel them and rice them into a large bowl. Cool completely.
• Add the egg,flour and parsley and mix well (hands preferred!). Season with salt and pepper. Put the mixture on a slightly floured board and knead until smooth dough. Divide into 12 even portions.
• Shape each portion into a ball, and flatten on the palm of your hand. Each ball should be about 4 inches.
• Put a tablespoon of picadillo in the center of the ball and pinch edges together to seal. Smooth the packet into a round ball, and seal any cracks. Roll the balls in breadcrumbs to coat.
• Fry the balls in the olive oil until deep brown, about 6-8 minutes. Drain on a cooling rack.
• Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 250°F oven for up to 20 minutes.

SWEET POTATOES WITH CUBAN-STYLE BEEF PICADILLO

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°. Pierce potatoes all over with a fork and place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet; bake until tender, 50 minutes. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Cook onion until soft, 4 minutes. Add garlic, cumin and cinnamon; cook, 1 minute. Add beef and cook through, 5 minutes. Add sherry and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, cherries, olives, capers and salt; reduce heat and simmer, 5 minutes; stir in chopped cilantro. Slice open potatoes and mash insides with a fork; divide beef mixture and cilantro leaves among potatoes.

CUBAN PICADILLO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and garlic.
• Cook over very low heat until the onions are almost tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and brown, stirring constantly with a fork to break up the meat.
• Stir in the tomato paste, chile, tomatoes, cumin, oregano, half the parsley and scallions, and the sugar, mix well.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Add the stock and potato and continue cooking, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the patato is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Use the tomato juice if you need more liquid.
• Mix in the remaining parsley and scallions and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve with bread or rice.

CUBAN PICADILLO, PICADILLO CUBANO

Steps:

• 1. In a mixing bowl combine the ground beef, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and lemon or lime juice. Do not use the shaker seasonings save that for the end of this recipe).
• 2. In a frying pan heat the olive oil saute the onions, green pepper, fresh garlic, and the raisins. When veggies are somewhat limp add the ground beef and continue to saute until the meat begins to loose it's red color. Next add the wine, tomato sauce, fill the empty tomato sauce can with water and add to the meat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over a medium flame. After the 15 minutes have passed add the potatoes, olives, Goya sazon packet, vinegar, and two or three good shakes from the shaker seasoning. Stir well cover and continue to cook for 15/20 minutes over a medium low flame on a simmer until potaotes are cooked through. Taste to see if your seasoning is ok add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve over fluffy white rice along with fried sweet plantains. If too soupy uncover and let cook for 10 more minutes. Enjoy

EASY CUBAN PICADILLO FOR TWO

Steps:

• In a small nonstick skillet, cook the beef, pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, olives, raisins and vinegar. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until raisins are plumped. Serve with rice.

CUBAN STYLE PICADILLO

Steps:

• Cook ground chuck in skillet on med-high heat and drain most of the fat (I always leave some in for flavor) Add mojo criollo (if desired), oregano, red cooking wine, tomato sauce,olives, brown sugar and raisons.
• Put the lid on and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
• In separate pan heat olive oil at med-high and add potatoes, onion, red pepper, and garlic (do not add garlic until potatoes are almost done) and cook until potatoes are fully cooked Add them to the pan and re-cover lid.
• Make rice as directed on package.
• Wait about 10 minutes before rice is ready to make the frozen sweet plantains. I cook them long enough so they are fairly dark, then place them on paper towels to drain the canola oil. Serve picadillo over white rice and sweet plantains on the side.

CUBAN PICADILLO

Steps:

• Brown the ground beef in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat until crumbly and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Pour off any excess grease, then stir in the onion and garlic; cook for 2 minutes before adding the red pepper, green pepper, raisins, olives, tomato paste, water, and cilantro. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes, or until the peppers have cooked to your liking.

PICADILLO (CUBAN BEEF HASH)

Steps:

• In a casserole, heat the oil over low heat until fragrant, then add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring, 10 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring until brown, 10 to 15 minutes, breaking up any large chunks with a wooden spoon. Drain off any excess fat. Add the sherry, tomatoes, salt, Worcestershire and Tabasco, stir and cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, then fry the chopped potato until golden, 10 minutes. (If you prefer not to fry the potato, boil it over medium high heat unpeeled and halved, in salted water covered until tender, 20 minutes,and omit the vegetable oil.) Add the potato, raisins, and olives to the meat, correct the seasonings, and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the picadillo to a large bowl or platter, place the chopped egg in the center, outline the border with peas, and sprinkle the entire dish with the pimiento.

PICADILLO, CUBAN GROUND BEEF

Steps:

• 1. Saute onion, peppers and garlic in oil until tender
• 2. Add the ground beef and brown, breaking the meat up. Drain the fat if you like but it's not traditional to do so.
• 3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, salt and pepper, and vinegar. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.
• 4. Add the olives and capers and warm through.
• 5. Serve over white rice
• 6. Note - Many recipes call for a cup of raisins.

CUBAN PICADILLO (PALEO)

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown the onions in the oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the ground beef and carrots and cook for 3-5 minutes, while stirring and breaking down the big clumps of meat.
• Add the bell pepper, tomato paste, wine and spices and continue to cook covered, over medium heat, until the meat is done and the vegetables are tender (20 - 30 minutes).
• Add the olives and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, let stand for 5-10 minutes and serve.

CUBAN PICADILLO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the sofrito (garlic, onions, green pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, capers, olives, bay leaves and cumin seeds).
• Cook the sofrito until it is fragrant and the onions are translucent; remove from pan and set aside.
• Brown ground beef in pan and drain fat.
• Add sofrito to the beef along with the tomatoes, vinegar, and cayenne pepper.
• Simmer for 45 minutes on low heat.
• Serve over rice, with a fried egg on top, garnished with pimiento, if desired.
• Another option to serve is to spoon it into corn tortillas, with lettuce, tomato, green onions, jalapenos, cheese, and hot sauce, like a taco.