Chef John's Picadillo
Description
A Cuban creation, picadillo is one of the world's great ground meat dishes. Chef John uses beef in his recipe, but you can add pork and/or chorizo.
Ingredients
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2 teaspoons olive oil
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1 1/2 pounds ground beef (85% lean)
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1 cup diced yellow onions
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1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
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2 bay leaves
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2 teaspoons cumin
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
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4 cloves garlic, minced
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3 cups crushed tomatoes
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1/4 cup water
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3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
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1/4 cup currants or raisins
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1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives, or to taste
Directions
1
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef; cook, breaking up beef into small pieces with a spoon or spatula until completely loses its pink color, 8 to 10 minutes. Add onion and salt; cook until onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add bay leaves, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper; cook 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.
2
Stir in crushed tomatoes, water, and red wine vinegar; cook and deglaze by scraping the browned bits of food off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes. Add currants; bring back to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until beef is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
3
Gently stir in olives; cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes more.