Picadillo: Cuban-Style Sloppy Joes

Since Number One and the crew are branding calves today, I wanted to make a ranch lunch. I have lots of ground beef, but no hamburger buns, plenty of hot dog buns (but not hot dogs again)! I thought of sloppy joes (on hot dog buns), but I wanted something different.

I really wanted to make a green chile version of sloppy joes, but couldn't find a good recipe and I'm not in the mood to experiment...much. I ran across this recipe for Cuban "sloppy joes" called Picadillo. I think it is exactly what I've been looking for, from Three Guys from Miami, who have written several cookbooks about Cuban cooking. (I don't have any of their cookbooks, but that could easily be remedied, if only amazon.com would sponsor my blog!). This recipe was posted on NPR's website.

I made a few modifications to the ingredients. I had a 2.5 pound package of ground beef, so I increased the spices, but I won't list those changes. I couldn't let go of my hankerin' for green chiles, so I added two 4-ounce cans along with the other peppers. This smelled so good simmering in the crock pot! A delicious blend of flavors, we will definitely make this again soon!

Picadillo

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 cups diced onion

2 cups seeded and finely chopped green bell pepper (I used 1 each yellow and orange, plus two cans of diced green chiles)

Olive oil to sauté

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds ground beef or ground round

3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (I used 2 cans diced)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 cup chopped green olives

1/3 cup raisins

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

Rice

Cuban or French bread (I used toasted hot dog buns!)

butter

1. Sauté onion and green pepper in olive oil in a large frying pan.

2. Sauté about 5 minutes, until the onion is softened, then add the garlic and ground beef.

3. Mash the onion and green pepper into the sautéing meat and cook until the meat is browned, about 5 minutes.

4. Put everything in a crockpot set to low heat.

5. Add the tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, oregano, olives and raisins.

6. Cover and let simmer in the crockpot for an hour or two or more. The longer it simmers, the better the flavor!

7. Salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve hot over white rice or:

9. Cut a loaf of Cuban or French bread lengthwise, but not completely through — like you would for a hoagie. Generously butter the inside — top and bottom. If you like, toast the bread lightly on a skillet. Stuff the bread with plenty of picadillo to make a great picadillo sandwich!