This recipe is very close to what Cuban Picadillo should be, but it was missing a few steps. I was pleased to see that all the ingredients were included, some people can't see why olives and raisins should co-exist in the same dish... try it, delicious. What I saw was missing was the beginning step. Picadillo, and practically all Cuban bean dishes are cooked into a "sofrito". A sofrito consists of a can of tomato sauce, an equal amount of water, garlic, onions, salt, and whatever herbs you prefer (typical cuban food uses a lot of oregano and I like to add cumin and a laurel leaf to my picadillo). Simmer the sofrito so that the garlic and onions start to cook and reduce the liquid to about 75%. Then add the beef to brown in the sofrito. Add the olives and raisins in as well so that the flavors incorporate with the rest of the pot. Add everything else in until the picadillo is cooked and the sauce is in the consistency you desire. Serve with white rice or a side of Frijoles Negros, some Cuban bread, tostones, and a salad... and you'll be a HAPPY CUBAN FOODIE!

being cuban ive eaten picadillo all my life at family get-togethers or restaurants and never, not once, have i had it with cilantro. traditional picadillo does not call for cilantro, so if you want to try picadillo at its utmost authenticity, omit the cilantro. it will be fabulously seasoned with the raisins and olives without the pungent odor or taste of cilantro.

I have been looking for a good picadillo recipe since I grew up in Miami and this type of cuisine is common. I love the sweet/salty flavors of the raisins (I used golden raisins, as I've never seen it served with black raisins in Miami) and olives. I'm not a big olive fan per say, but the flavors meld nicely that you don't go, "hey, this has olives, eww.." :) Almost all of the ingredients are there but I switched up the order. I started with the traditional Sofrito before I even cooked the beef. (Saute onions, garlic in olive oil until clear, then add cumin, oregano, red pepper, two 8 oz cans of Goya tomato sauce and red and green bell peppers then letting liquid reduce/thicken) To this I added the remainder of the ingredients and then let the liquid cook down into the ground beef. Don't worry if it seems like you're not actually "browning" the ground beef with all the liquid present as the sauce eventually evaporates and makes the beef very flavorful. I served this with white rice and tradionally seasoned black beans.

Great recipe! Very close to authenic!! Just made a few changes, added a little salt and used half if the green olives.

this is a tasty recipe, very close to a dear cuban mother of a friend of mine, with a couple additions as another reviewer mentioned. do not leave out raisins and olives. i also add chopped tomatoes, cumin, a bay leaf, and a dash of red pepper flakes, and stock instead of water. one of the tastiest ground beef recipes up their with spaghetti sauce!

My kids and I really liked this recipe. I used stir fry beef instead of hamburger, chopping it up after it was browned like they do at Baja Fresh and other taco places. I served it with coconut rice - very good combination. To make coconut rice, cook 1/4 onion or 1/2 shallot in 1T butter til tender, add 1 cup jasmine rice, 3/4 cup coconut milk and 1 c water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 18 minutes. Stir in a dash of nutmeg if you like and serve either beside or under the picadillo.

We had a Cuban themed housewarming party, and I made this and used it as a stuffing for mushrooms. All of the guest raved about the flavor combination. I did use golden raisins instead of plain raisins and cut down some on the green olives.

I have been trying new international dishes for my family... I tweaked this recipe like others and it was a hit. I made the "sofrito" as others commented first and left out the cilantro... also, I halved the entire recipe. Halving this recipe still made way more than enough for 4 adults and we had leftovers. I also let this simmer for about an hour in order to let the flavors marry... used less olives (about 6 ounces) and golden raisins.

I've never even had Cuban food, but wanted to make something for a friend who grew up in Miami and misses it. I have to admit I was nervous about tasting it after looking at the ingredients...but it's good! I followed one person's advice and left out the cilantro to make it more authentic (used it today to make cilantro pesto). This a unique, surprising dish; several of my (very white American) friends have tried it and liked it as well.

This was pretty good. I did add two packets of sazon and about a teaspon of cumin (I doubled the recipe).