Picadillo (Cuban Beef Hash)

Memories of a Cuban Kitchen, p. 122

¼ cup pure Spanish olive oil

1 medium-size onion, chopped

1 medium-size green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef, chuck or rump

¼ cup dry sherry

½ cup canned crushed tomatoes or prepared tomato sauce

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, optional

½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce, optional

1 small all-purpose potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes

¼ cup dark raisins

½ cup pimiento-stuffed green olives (may be cut in halves), drained

¼ cup vegetable or peanut oil

FOR THE GARNISH:

1 large egg, hard-boiled and finely chopped

½ cup drained canned early sweet peas

1 pimiento, chopped

In a casserole, heat the oil over low heat until fragrant, then add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring, 10 minutes. 

So many delicious things begin with this combination of ingredients.

Add the beef and cook, stirring, until brown, 10 to 15 minutes, breaking up any large chunks with a wooden spoon. Drain off any excess fat.

Add the sherry, tomatoes, salt, Worcestershire and Tabasco, stir, and cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat the vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, then fry the chopped potato until golden, 10 minutes. 

Cooking times in this recipe may vary. My potatoes were well done long before 10 minutes were up.

(If you prefer not to fry the potato, boil it over medium-high heat, unpeeled and halved, in salted water to cover until tender, 20 minutes, and omit the vegetable oil.) Add the potato, raisins, and olives to the meat, correct the seasonings, and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the picadillo to a large bowl or platter, place the chopped egg in the center, outline the border with peas, and sprinkle the entire dish with the pimiento.

The garnish is where ish gets weird. Fortunately I adore hard-boiled eggs as much as I hate peas.

...and the garnish gets all mixed into everything when you serve it anyway.

My Rating: 3/5 "I was really excited for this. I love hashes as a great one-dish dinner and the mixture of things in this seemed like it was going to create a provocative flavor. But in the end, it turns out that all of these ingredients combine to taste like salt. Mostly just salt. About all you taste in this is salt. (I should point out that my husband loved it for exactly that reason.) That said, although I was disappointed, I have give this dish props for being extraordinarily filling. You're good to go - and stay full for quite a while - after just a little bit of it."