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Sekai Gohan
Picadillo a la Habanera: Cuban Ground Beef Stew with Olives and Raisins
Ingredients
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Substitutes & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 2 tsp | |
| Chorizo | 120 g | Spanish-style cooking chorizo. Cut into 1 cm cubes. If unavailable, coarse-ground sausage |
| Green bell pepper | 1/2 cup (about 2) | Cut into 5 mm dice |
| Onion | 1/2 cup (about 1/2 onion) | Cut into 5 mm dice |
| Ground beef | 570 g | About 1 1/4 lb. Ground pork or a beef-pork mix also works |
| Bay leaf | 1 | |
| Tomato purée | 1 cup (200 ml) | With fresh tomatoes, chop 2–3 |
| Green olives (pimiento-stuffed) | 1/4 cup (about 12) | Cut in half |
| Raisins | 3 tbsp | |
| Capers | 2 tbsp | Drained |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | Rub between your fingers to release the aroma |
| Salt | A little (start with 1/4 tsp) | Decide at the end after judging the saltiness of the olives and capers |
| Pepper | A little |
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Substitutes & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked rice | 4 bowls (about 1.25 lb / 600 g) | Long-grain rice is more authentically Cuban |
| Ripe plantains | 2 | Ripen until the skin turns black. Omit if unavailable |
| Vegetable oil | 2 tbsp | For frying the plantains |
Steps
1Cut the vegetables and chorizo
Cut the onion and bell pepper into 5 mm dice and prepare about 1/2 cup of each. Cut the chorizo into 1 cm cubes and the olives in half. Matching the size of the vegetables to the grains of ground meat keeps it from falling apart in your mouth and makes it hold together when spooned over rice.
2Fry the chorizo to release its oil
Put 2 tsp olive oil and the chorizo in a large skillet and fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes. It is enough when the chorizo's fat has rendered and the oil in the skillet has turned an orange-tinged red. Over high heat the paprika scorches and turns bitter, so stay with medium heat.
3Fry the onion and bell pepper
Add the onion and bell pepper and fry over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, coating them in the red oil. Move on when the onion is translucent and the bell pepper has softened and deepened slightly in color. If you let the vegetables take up plenty of oil here, the aroma carries well even after the ground meat goes in.
4Brown the ground beef
Add the ground beef and bay leaf, and fry over medium heat for 7–8 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Browning it first in large clumps and then breaking it into small pieces gives it a toasty flavor. It is done when no red remains in the meat and it has crumbled apart. If a lot of fat comes out, lightly blot it up with paper towels.
5Simmer with the tomato
Add 1 cup of tomato purée, stir, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Stir from the bottom now and then. It is enough when the liquid has reduced to a thickness where drawing a wooden spoon across the bottom leaves a track and the meat and vegetables have come together in a thick sauce. If too much liquid remains, the rice turns soggy, and if it is reduced too far the meat dries out.
6Add the olives, raisins and capers
Add the olives, raisins, capers and the oregano rubbed between your fingers, and warm through for 1–2 minutes, stirring. When everything has blended and the raisins have plumped slightly, turn off the heat and take out the bay leaf. Only now taste and adjust with salt and pepper. The olives and capers add saltiness, so add salt a little at a time, starting from 1/4 tsp.
7Fry the plantains and plate
Peel the ripe plantains and cut them diagonally 0.5 inches (1 cm) thick. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat and fry 2–3 minutes per side. They are done when the surface is a deep golden brown to caramel color and a bamboo skewer slides in easily. Put rice on a plate, spoon the picadillo over it, and add the plantains alongside.