Picadillo is a popular dish across former Spanish colonies, this version is Cuban and rocks minced beef with potatoes, capers and raisins.
This dish comes together in around 75 minutes, and despite its slightly lengthy cooking time, it is very easy.
Cuban Minced Beef with Potatoes, Capers and Raisins
You've gotta love the versatility of minced beef. I use it all of the time, and it is often a wonderful frugal choice for putting together a hearty dish.
I use it in everything from my minced beef and onion pie, to my minced beef stew and dumplings and beef kofta kebabs, to my aloo keema curry.
Here it stars in a Cuban-inspired picadillo recipe, a dish that has variants across loads of many former Spanish colonies.
There are Mexican, Puerto Rican, Peruvian, Dominican and even Filipino versions of this wonderfully hearty dish.
My version of picadillo is gloriously simple and combines minced beef with potatoes, salty, sour capers and sweet dried raisins.
It's all cooked in a single pan in a sauce that features white wine, tomato passata and a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce.
This is properly delicious, and easy comfort food that has muscled its way into our regular winter line-up in recent years!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there no olives?
I really don't like olives, and as a result, I omit olives from my versions of picadillo.
You can reduce the amount of capers in half and toss in a handful of pimento-stuffed green olives if you like.
Do I have to add the raisins?
No, if you are not keen on the sweetness of raisins in a savoury dish, feel free to omit them.
There is plenty of precedent for doing this, but most importantly, it is your dinner. You must make it for you to eat and not to preserve some notion of "authenticity"!
Do I have to add the potatoes?
No, just like the raisins, these are sometimes omitted in some versions of picadillo.
Do I have to use the wine?
No, feel free to omit the white wine, it will have a little effect on the flavour, but it is fairly minimal.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, picadillo is superb a day or two after it has been made. It will store in the fridge for 2-3 days, and it will freeze for 3 months!
You can even scale this up and make it for leftovers and top baked potatoes, make quesadillas or make loaded nachos.
Serving Suggestions
Cuban picadillo is often served with plain white rice and black beans, however, I prefer to serve mine with brown rice and loads of fresh coriander.
If you want to stick with a Cuban "theme" for this dish, you could serve it with some fried plantain or some fried yuca.
This dish is also superb served with some tortillas to mop up the lovely sauce. Feel free to run with flour or corn tortillas.
You could even take it down a "Southern US" vibe and serve this with cornbread, the flavours work really well.
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- 25cm or 10" frying pan with a lid.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Vegetable peeler.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring jug, cups and spoons.
- A bowl for soaking the potatoes.
- Kitchen paper.
- Colander or sieve.
Cuban Inspired Picadillo Recipe with Minced Beef
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Onion 150g
- 1 Medium Red Pepper 150g
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 350 g Minced Beef 12oz
- 1 Medium-Large Potato 250g
- 125 ml Dry White Wine ½ Cup
- 200 g Tomato Passata ¾ Cup
- 1½ tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½-¾ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 3 tablespoon Capers 45-50g
- 50 g Raisins ¼ Cup
Instructions
- Cut the onion in half, peel it and then cut it into a 5mm (¼") dice.
- Remove the seeds and stem from the red pepper, then cut the flesh into a 5mm (¼") dice
- Heat a 25cm (10") frying pan over a low heat, add the olive oil and toss in the onion and red pepper. Sweat them down without adding any colour for 12-15 minutes.
- Peel the garlic cloves and then dice them as finely as you can.
- Peel the potato and cut it into a 12-17mm (½-¾") dice, plunge the potato into cold water until you are ready to use it.
- Toss in the garlic and cook for another minute or two, then turn the heat up to high.
- Once the vegetables begin to sizzle, add the minced beef and cook it until it is well browned. This will take around 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium, season the meat with the salt, pepper, cumin and oregano and give everything a stir.
- Add the tomato puree and cook it out in the fat from the meat for a minute or two, stirring all of the time, then reduce the heat to low-medium.
- Drain the potatoes and dry them on some kitchen paper, add them to the pan and stir, then pour in the white wine, Worcestershire sauce, tomato passata and add the bay leaf, capers and raisins, stir to combine, add a lid and cook for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove the lid and cook for another 10-12 minutes over a medium heat or until the thick sauce has cooked into the meat and potatoes.
