Picadillo, with its lively sweet-and-sour taste, is a classic Cuban dish that almost every family has a version of. It’s traditionally made with ground beef, but because beef is expensive and in very short supply, Cubans use pork instead in this easy recipe. Picadillo is a great party dish, since it reheats well. Serve with rice or polenta.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground pork (see Tip)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Ground pepper to taste
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
2 bay leaves
½ cup raisins
⅓ cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, chopped
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add pork; cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
Stir in cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt, allspice and pepper, then add tomatoes, their reserved juice and bay leaves. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes.
Stir in raisins, olives and vinegar; cover and simmer for 10 minutes more.
Tips
Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Depending on your supermarket, it might be hard to find a lean option for ground pork. But it’s easy to make your own in a food processor. Choose a lean cut, such as loin or tenderloin. Cut into pieces and then pulse in a food processor until uniformly ground (being careful not to overprocess, turning the meat into mush). Or ask your butcher to grind it for you. Using lean pork instead of regular ground pork saves up to 164 calories and 5 grams of saturated fat per 3 ounces of cooked meat.
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