Abuela's Picadillo

This classic Cuban dish is a mix of ground beef, onions, peppers and olives in a savory tomato sauce--serve with rice and fried eggs.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Adobo seasoning, to taste (optional)
• 1 yellow onion or 1/2 Spanish onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1/4 green pepper, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup green olives stuffed with pimentos
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 eggs
• White rice, prepared according to package directions
• 1/2 lime
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

Prepare rice in a rice cooker or on a stove. Make sure to add a splash of olive oil and a dash of salt to the rice. Dice the onion, garlic cloves and green pepper. Coat a cast iron pan with a small amount of olive oil and sautee the diced vegetables on medium heat. Add salt and pepper and Adobo seasoning (if desired) to the ground beef. When the onions begin to caramelize add the beef to the cast iron pan; stir and break apart the beef with a wooden spoon or spatula until browned. Add the beef bouillon cube, bay leaves, olives, tomato sauce, a splash of wine and a splash of water. When the mixture begins to bubble, turn the temperature down to simmer. Leave the meat simmering as long as you desire. The longer it simmers, the more flavorful it will be. When the rice is ready, remove it from the heat and squeeze half a lime into the rice. Fry an egg in a small amount of butter. Serve rice with the meat on top and a fried egg on top of it all.

Number of Servings: 2

Notes from the Cook: This recipe is from my Cuban great-grandmother, with some slight variations.