Abuela’s Picadillo Cubano and our first grocery outing!

So I took all three girls to the grocery store today for the first time. I loaded Wren in my Ergo and walked in with the two toddlers. Traffic stopped all ways as I crossed the street with my little ducklings. We are hard to miss.

When we got inside, of course all of the race car carts with space for two to be buckled in were gone. Murphy’s law of parenting strikes again! Not to be discouraged, I rallied and put Rose up front and Ruth in the part where you put the groceries.
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We were serenaded by the usual chorus of “She’s got her hands full!”, but other than that, our trip was mercifully uneventful. The girls were very good and enjoyed themselves on our little outing.

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Tonight I made Cuban Piccadillo according to my Abuela’s recipe. My grandparents are Cuban refugees and my mother is first generation American. My Abuela’s house is still one of my favorite places to visit. The woman knows her way around a kitchen. Her Ropa Vieja is world renowned (I still have yet to get the recipe for that one), but her Picadillo is also delicious and super simple. Perfect for a busy weeknight dish. It is also a hearty one stop meal. No need for any sides. Scott and the girls love it, and I usually make it weekly. Enjoy!

Picadillo Cubano

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup (or one 14.5 oz can) diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 small potato, chopped into small cubes
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup Spanish olives
•1/4 cup capers
•salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium casserole dish or frying pan with a lid, heat olive oil over medium heat until fragrant, about five minutes.
2. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook until soft, about 5-6 minutes. (This is called a sofrito, which is the base of most Cuban dishes).
3. Add the wine and let it reduce for about three minutes.
4. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink.
5. Add tomatoes, a pinch of salt, Worcestershire sauce, and I add a squirt of ketchup because my husband prefers it to be a bit saucier than is traditional. (Americans) Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
6. While that is cooking, heat up the vegetable oil in a small frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about 7 minutes.
7. Add the cooked potatoes to the Picadillo, along with olives, capers, and raisins. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes.
8. Serve over white rice.
9. Bon appetit!

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11 thoughts on “Abuela’s Picadillo Cubano and our first grocery outing!

  1. Christine

    This was great! I didnt have raisins or olives but I made everything else per the instructions and doubled it due to our family of 7 (which includes 4 teenagers). There were no leftovers!

    Reply
  2. Irene

    Love picadillo but have never tried making it with Worcestershire, raisins, and capers! Sounds like wonderful flavors that I will have to try very soon. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  3. morgan

    OH hmmm this looks delicious!
    It’s nice to hear that your outing went well 🙂 You’ve got racing carts (I assume those are the shopping carts with the plastic car in front, right?) where you can buckle two kids in?!? I am sooo envious! We only got ones where one kid can take a seat – always ending in a fight. The last couple of times we managed to get one, I buckled my youngest one in the seat, one of the others squeezed him/herself next to him and the third one climbed the roof. Very funny. Not.

    Reply
    1. sylcell Post author

      Yeah! It is a car attached to the back of the cart with two seats with buckles and two steering wheels! Although, my girls always end up fighting over each others’ steering wheels even though they each have their own. Yeesh.

      Reply

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