Picadillo

One of the easiest and most versatile recipes is picadillo. In my Cuban family, picadillo is made with ground meat cooked with the typical onions, peppers, and seasons along with other ingredients like raisins, green olives, and potatoes. This dish offers the perfect balance between the saltiness of the green olives, the flavors of the seasonings, and the sweetness of the raisins. Picadillo is typically served with rice. However, it can also be used to make empanadas, Cuban meat pies, burritos, tacos, nachos, and so on. I usually leave out the raisins if I am going to make something like a taco or burrito. In fact, the raisins and potatoes are optional, even though they are typical ingredients in Cuban-style picadillo. Picadillo is another great recipe where you just put everything in a pot and let it cook, with the exception of the potatoes which are fried separately. This is a really simple recipe, quick to make, and is extremely versatile and flavorful. So have fun trying out this recipe and enjoy!       

Picadillo Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ lbs of ground beef
• ½ of a large green pepper
• 1 medium-sized red pepper
• 1 large onion
• ½ of a 5.75 oz jar of green olives, plus 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive fluid
• 1 ½ cups of raisins
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 2 tablespoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 packet of sazón con azafran or ½ tablespoon saffron
• 2 medium-sized potatoes
• Vegetable or corn oil for frying

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A medium-sized pot
• A frying pan
• Knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
• Spider strainer, mesh rack
• A food processor (optional)

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients. Soak the raisins in water for about 15-20 minutes (put enough water so that the raisins are covered, the water will be discarded anyway). While waiting, finely chop the red pepper, green pepper, and onion with a food processor.
2. Put the meat in a large pot, break up the meat, and cook on high heat to lightly brown the meat, but continue to stir and break up the meat. You don't want there to be clumps; it should be very refined.
3. Next, add the seasonings, red pepper, green pepper, and onion to the meat and mix thoroughly. Then add the olives and olive fluid to the meat, and drain the water from the raisins and add to the meat, and mix thoroughly. Then reduce the heat to medium and let cook for 20 to 25 minutes with the lid covering the pot. Make sure to stir the pot occasionally.
4. While waiting, you can make the potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut into slices a quarter inch thick. Then take each slice and cut into strips ¼ inch thick, and cut into cubes ¼ inch in size.  Now, oil in a frying pan at least ¼ inch deep and heat on high heat. Use one piece of potato to test if the oil is hot enough. If you see bubbles, the oil is ready. Carefully add the potatoes to the oil and cook until they have a golden brown color. Then use a spider strainer to remove the potatoes from the oil and place on a mesh rack.
5. At this point, the meat is done, and most of the fluid should have evaporated from the meat (See video demonstration for a visual; Note: if there is still too much fluid let the meat continue to cook for another 5 minutes). Add the potatoes to the meat and mix. Then serve the meat with a side of rice or whatever you’d like.  

Fruit Compote

Lemon Pancakes Topped with a Berry Compote

I know I posted a lemon pancake recipe already that included a recipe for berry compote. However, I was working on some pastries and a cake that both used different kinds of compotes, and thought it would be a good idea to post a general fruit compote recipe. In other words, I wanted to explain how to make a fruit compote using any type of fruit that you want! Compotes are very versitile as they can be used as toppings, fillings, or to flavor breakfast or desserts items. I make compotes frequently to eat with waffles or pancakes, to fill cakes or pastries, and to flavor cake batters or frostings. The best part is the recipe is very simple and natural as it involves little additional sugar. So have fun trying this recipe and enjoy! 

Pastries filled with Apple and Guava Compote

Fruit Compote Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 ½ cups of fruit
• 2 tsp of brown sugar (or white sugar)
• ¼ cup of water or citris juice (orange, lime, lemon etc.)

          (Note: you can use fresh or frozen berries to make the compote)

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A small pot
• A knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients. First, prepare the fruit by removing any skin and pits (Note: don't worry about removing the seeds or skin from berries like strawberries, blueberries, black berries, etc.) Then chop any large fruit into ¼ inch cubes, including strawberries. 
2. Now, in a medium-sized pot, add the 3 ½  cups of fruit, sugar, and water (or citris juice). Then place the pot on the stove, give it a good stir, and bring to a simmer on high heat with the pot covered.
3. Once the pot is simmering, stir the pot, reduce the heat to medium-high, and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes with the pot uncovered, but make sure you stir the pot occasionally.
4. By this point, the compote should be almost finished, and the fruit should be soft. If the fruit is still firm let it continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes (Note: Add a ¼ cup of fluid if the compote seems to thick) 
5. Once the fruit is tender (as in a fork can easily poke through the fruit), you can either leave the compote as is so it has chunks of fruit in it or you can smash the fruit. To smash the fruit, take two spoons and smash the fruit between the spoons to break them down a bit. Then take a large spoon and squash the fruit against the bottom of the pot until there are no large chunks of the fruit.  The compote should have a thick and slightly runny consistency, but not be too liquidy. ***If the compote is too watery, let it cook for another 5 to 10 minutes to allow some of the fluid to evaporate. Make sure you watch the compote throughout the cooking process and remove from the heat when the consistency is right (see video demonstration for a visual)***    ***If the compote is too thick, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and mix. Then the compote is done.***
6. Once the compote has the right consistency, remove it from the heat, and it is ready to serve! You can also store this in the refrigerator for a week or freeze it and defrost as needed (Note: If you freeze the compote make sure you use it within a few weeks).