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Picadillo, with its lively sweet-and-sour taste, is a classic Cuban dish that almost every family has a version of. It's traditionally made with ground beef, but because beef is expensive and in very short supply, Cubans use pork instead in this easy recipe. Picadillo is a great party dish, since it reheats well. Serve with rice or polenta.

Source: EatingWell Magazine, March/April 2016

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Recipe Summary

total:
1 hr
Servings:
6
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Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

Directions

Instructions Checklist
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add pork; cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.

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  • Stir in cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt, allspice and pepper, then add tomatoes, their reserved juice and bay leaves. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes.

  • Stir in raisins, olives and vinegar; cover and simmer for 10 minutes more.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Depending on your supermarket, it might be hard to find a lean option for ground pork. But it's easy to make your own in a food processor. Choose a lean cut, such as loin or tenderloin. Cut into pieces and then pulse in a food processor until uniformly ground (being careful not to overprocess, turning the meat into mush). Or ask your butcher to grind it for you. Using lean pork instead of regular ground pork saves up to 164 calories and 5 grams of saturated fat per 3 ounces of cooked meat.

Nutrition Facts

about 1 cup
223 calories; protein 16.8g; carbohydrates 19.4g; dietary fiber 3.3g; sugars 11.6g; fat 9.9g; saturated fat 2.5g; cholesterol 43.9mg; vitamin a iu 435IU; vitamin c 26mg; folate 10.6mcg; calcium 59.3mg; iron 1.6mg; magnesium 22.7mg; potassium 529.1mg; sodium 410.1mg; thiamin 0.1mg.

1 1/2 vegetable, 1/2 fruit, 2 lean meat, 1 fat

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