Picadillo (not Peccadillo) and Spanish Salad

A couple weeks back, Lady Sally's Mum gave me a Key West cookbook, and I started cruising through it thinking ahead to the next time I needed to make Sunday lunch for the three of us.

Then Sally and her friend Susan went to Spain for a week and I started looking at Spanish recipes again.

So this week I'm going to tell you about a fabulous Cuban dish as well as a great Spanish warm salad.



Picadillo 
The Spanish word means "mince", which Lady Sally tells me is what the dish would be called in Brighton English.  Some folks would call it a hash.  Very simple and very tasty, without any of the hot spices that typically characterize other Caribbean dishes.  In Cuba picadillo is often served atop plain white rice, or with a side of "patatas fritas" or fried potatoes (home fries).  I served it with tortillas to make soft tacos,  I can also see it as a filling for pita pockets, or in a pie pan with a topping of mashed potatoes making a Cuban Cottage Pie.  No matter how you serve it, you've gonna love this one and make it time and time again.

2 cups Onion, diced
2 cups Green Pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 pounds Ground Beef
3 large Roma Tomatoes,  chopped1 teaspoon Cumin, ground
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 cup pimento stuffed Green Olives, chopped

2 Tbsp Capers1/3 cup Raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste

Brown the beef, add the onion, pepper, garlic and spices and cook for a few minutes.  Add the other ingredients.  Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to marry the flavors

I served my picadillo with warmed tortillas and a side of Maduros, sometimes called Tostones or Plantanos Refritos.  What's that?  Pan fried plantains.  Lady Sally loves 'em!   Plantains are un-sweet relatives of the banana.  There are also "cooking bananas"  -- sweeter than a plantain, but not as sweet as a banana.  What I ended up with was cooking bananas.  I sliced them about 1/2" thick and laid them out on a griddle pan with a splash of oil and cooked until I got some nice caramelization.  

If you make Plantanos Refritos, you cut the plantains about an inch thick; fry both cut faces until brown and caramelized, then smash them down to half the height and fry again.

Escalivada

Sally and Susan spent a week in the Catalonian region of Spain, of which Barcelona is the capital.   Barcelonans love to grill, and Escalivada is a grilled vegetable salad usually served warm with fresh bread and cheese.  In Spain there is a tendency to smother things in olive oil.  Good locally made oil, mind you, but 'way too much for Americans who are trying to be a bit healthy. This is my take on this wonderful regional dish, with only a splash of EVOO.  Serves 4.

3 Red Bell Peppers

1 large Eggplant or 3 long eggplant

2 large sweet Onions

4 large Tomatoes

1 whole head of Garlic

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar

Kosher Salt to taste

Wash the vegetables, and cut into large pieces (not a dice. If you insist, but I don't, peel/ skin the tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. 

Toss the veg with 2-3 Tbsp olive oil and roast under broiler or on grill until things are nicely blacked. Toss with a bit more olive oil and red wine vinegar and serve warm.  I added a toasted baguette with a schmear of good soft goat cheese.  

Happy eating!