Picadillo

On Vi's pantry we have a challenge running. Every two weeks each participating member has to post three recipes. Everyone who wishes to take part makes one or more of the dishes and votes as to whether they like it. This is all about challenging us to make things we possibly haven't tried before. This recipe is from Kitchengoddess. She took it from a Cuban recipe book she had received. I was unsure at first as it appeared to be quite bland. I decided to give it a go. I let it cook for four hours on a very low heat. I then let cook for a further hour before serving. I was so impressed it was lovely. Really really tasty. It certainly lends itself to long slow cooking. The flavours really intensify with the cooking. I served it with noodles and sweet chilli sauce and some fresh bread from the oven. A delicious meal.

The Recipe (Serves 6):

• 2 cups diced onion
• 2 cups seeded and finely chopped green bell pepper
• Olive oil to sauté
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds ground beef or ground round
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 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

1. Sauté onion and green pepper in olive oil in a large casserole dish.
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. Add the tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, oregano, olives and raisins.
5. Cover and let simmer in the crockpot for an hour or two or more. The longer it simmers, the better the flavour, and it’s also great warmed up later as the flavours intensify.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.