Picadillo with Fried Plantains

Picadillo is a traditional dish in many Latin American countries. The name comes from the Spanish word, "picar" which means "to mince" or "to chop". It's made with ground meat, tomatoes, and regional ingredients. The Cuban version includes olives and on occasion capers, omits chili powder, and is usually served with rice and fried plantains.

I love Cuban food, and living in Tampa Bay Florida there are a lot of Cuban restaurants to choose from. I picked up a cookbook from my favorite, the Habana Cafe, and this is the Picadillo recipe from said book.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, blended
• ¼ cup capers
• ¼ cup green olives
• 2 tablespoons Badia complete seasoning
• 1 packet Knorr all-purpose seasoning (I use Knorr SAZON since I can't find all purpose)
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 cup Chablis
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 small onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 cup early peas
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup potatoes, cubed

For reference, I cut this recipe in half for two people, and still had a bunch left over. It's a great leftover meal. The full recipe could probably last a week easy for one person, and since it's super easy it would be ideal for some of you college goons. :)

I start off by getting the rice in the oven. I use Alton Brown's brown rice method because it comes out perfect every time, and it takes an hour. The recipe calls for the traditional white rice, but I prefer brown. Use whatever you like.

First, combine all ingredients in a bowl except for the beef, peas, potatoes and (optional) raisins. Here are the combined ingredients, getting ready for a bath of (chateau screw top) (Chablis):

Ready to be mixed:

After mixing up your ingredients, heat up the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, and add the mixture to the pan and saute until hot:

Right about now your kitchen should be smellin' REAL good.

Reduce the heat a bit, then add the ground beef:

Cover and cook about twenty minutes. In the mean time get your peas and potatoes (and raisins if you're into that sort of thing) ready to go:

After the 20 minutes are up, add the peas and potatoes (and optional raisins) to the mix and cook another 20 minutes uncovered to reduce sauce, or leave the cover on if you like it SAUCY:

While the Picadillo is cooking for the final 20 minutes, now is the time to get the fried plantains started! Fried plantains are one of my favorite side dishes, it's super easy, and oh yeah kids love them too. :)

Try to find plantains that are almost black, the riper the sweeter. Peel them, cut them in half, then cut the halves length wise. You can cut smaller pieces if you like, but it's a bit easier to deal with bigger pieces:

Then grab a skillet, (I use a small one to save oil) and add about an inch or two of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Fry as many slices that will fit in one layer. Fry until golden brown, on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes:

• sizzle*

Drain the plantains on a tray or plate covered with paper towels to absorb the oil, and they are ready to serve!

Now the potatoes are soft and the Picadillo is ready to serve. In the upper left you can see the rice is out of the oven, pipping hot and just in time!

Serve over a bed of rice, add some fried plantains and enjoy!

I actually ate all of this and got completely stuffed. :v: