Aromas of Havana...Picadillo Cubano, a family
style dish from Cuba, loved by Cubans everywhere.  A sweet and sour ground beef hash, a Cuban sloppy Joe, a
great departure from chili, or sloppy joe.  This was last night's cooking demo I did at the Whole Foods Market in
Middletown, NJ  (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/middletown/).  My series was dedicated to the herbs
of Spring and this dish contains dried oregano, Bay leaves, and fresh oregano.  Is that a little redundant? 
Oregano X 2?  Not at all...dried oregano and fresh are almost different flavors and they are used differently to
pull out the most flavor from both.  The dried herb goes into the meat and slowly flavors the simmering hash.  The
fresh herb is chopped and sprinkled over the finished dish and the heat of the dish releases the most amazing
aromas.  Let's go back to where I tried this home-style dish for the first time.
Miami Beach/Miami Florida...the land of Cuban and Cuban-American foods.  When you first leave your gate
at MIA (Miami International Airport) you are brought back to sea level with the warming aroma of Cafe con Leche,
chorizos, and other Cuban delicacies for you run smack into La Carreta...a Cuban cuisine landmark in Miami.
Versailles has an outpost in the airport as well...sometimes I buy the Guava Pastry in both places and try to
figure out which one I like the best.  (both..) 
  What a sight after a a 2 1/2 hour trip...The coffee is great, and
the food is good, and Cuban.  While in Miami you should definitely try Versailles, THE  most well known of the Cuban
Restaurants in Miami.   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles_restaurant)
This is located on the Famous Calle Ocho (do I hear Pitbull in the background?) in Miami's Little Havana Cuban
Enclave.  But, my FAVORITE Cuban restaurant is in Miami Beach's South Beach section (yes, away from the
Versace, Gloria Estafan, Ocean Drive hot spots) and it is called Puerto Sagua.  Located at 700 Collins Ave it
is an old fashioned almost a luncheonette style restaurant.  Unimposing, with colorful murals and paintings on
the walls, with a counter section as well, Cuban favorites like Arroz con Pollo, Ropa Viejo, Milanesas, Croquetas,
Cuban Sandwiches, I could go on and on..OH..don't forget the BEST CAFE' CON LECHE ever....with a Guava
pastry on the side...Ay, Que Rico!!!  The Delano is great, but , for a real meal, hit one of these places.
  Adios Miami, back to New Jersey and cooking a version of Cubano
Picadillo.  Operative word, VERSION.  Like Italian cooking, especially meatballs and sauce, every family makes
THE BEST, and every family has something that is somewhat different, most ingredients though are the same.
Picadillo falls under that category.  Some families swear it should contain raisins, some do not.  Some use
a mix of chorizo and beef, others would rather slit their throats if it didn't contain beef only.  So, before we get
any Cubans out there ready to send me nasty emails, this is my version of this Cuban classic.  Ok, now that
we have cleared the air, let's cook Cuban.
  Quite a few ingredients in this recipe.  Get
your largest and deepest skillet or dutch oven.  Chop two onions, 1 green pepper into a medium dice. Set them aside.
Slice 3 cloves of garlic.  Now we will start by making the SOFRITO, which is like the trinity in Cajun and Creole cooking,
the mirepoix in French cooking.  It is a saute' of aromatic vegetables which forms the base of the dish.  Heat 2 tbs
of vegetable oil.  Add the peppers first and let them saute for 5 minutes.  Then add the onions, a little seasoning of
salt and black pepper.This  should cook for almost 8 minutes.  Now add the garlic.  Let this cook for 3 minutes more.
 It should be smelling very fragrant now.  Add 2 lbs. of
ground beef, at least 85% lean.  Season the meat with 1 tbs. of good cumin, salt, pepper. Add 1 tbs. of dried oregano
which you have rubbed between the palm of your hands to the meat as well.


Press the meat into the pan and mix well with the sofrito  Let this cook for about 5 minutes constantly breaking down
the meat.  Now add 3 more sliced cloves of garlic and mix well. Add 1/8 cup dry white wine, and 1/8 cup of red
wine vinegar.  Blend well.  Add 3 bay leaves.  Let this cook for about 5 minutes and now add 1 can of diced tomatoes.
and 1 tbs. of dark brown sugar...this is a nod to the sugar industry which once was the most important industry in
Cuba.




Blend all this well. Let this simmer for 10 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of raisins, 1 tbs. of capers and about 10 spanish
stuffed olives.


Mix this all together and simmer for another 10-15 minutes.  Serve this wonderful stew, hash, call it what you want, it's all
Picadillo Cubano...check for seasonings of course.  Serve it over white rice and black beans and finely chop 2 sprigs of
fresh oregano over the top.  The smell will knock you out.  Fried sliced plantains are also a traditional side dish.  Pull
out your favorite hot sauce if you'd like and shake it over your plate!  This is a great party dish, a large bowl of this in the
center of your table, the rice and beans and plantains in separate bowls, and let your guests make their plates up. 
Adios for now...time to catch some sleep and dream of that Guava pastry (how many times HAVE I mentioned them?).