PICADILLO (Cuban savoury ground beef)
| 1 tablespoon olive oil | 1 tablespoon capers |
| 1 medium Spanish onion, peeled and chopped | 2 tablespoons white vinegar |
| 2 capsicums, (1 green 1 red), seeded and chopped | 1/4 teaspoon sugar |
| 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced | 1 teaspoon salt |
| 600g lean ground beef topside | 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
| 1/4 cup strong tomato puree* | 500g potatoes, peeled and cubed |
| 1/4 cup sliced, stuffed green olives | 1/4 cup vegetable oil |
| 1/4 cup raisins |
*To make your own tomato puree, finely chop a 425ml tin of Italian tomatoes and cook with the juice for about 20 minutes or until a thick, dark red consistency is achieved.
Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and capsicums for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
Add the beef and break it up well; there should be no lumps. When the beef has browned, stir in the tomato puree, olives, raisins, capers, vinegar, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
While the picadillo is simmering, fry the cubed potatoes in the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes or so. When the picadillo is done, add the drained potatoes and toss lightly to mix. (To reduce fat content, the potatoes may be added raw to the picadillos and cooked with it instead.)
Serves 6