Picadillo

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion chopped
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
• 1/4 cup sliced green olives
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 3/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Begin by heating a medium Dutch oven over high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and the ground beef; be sure to distribute it evenly throughout the pan. Allow to brown on the bottom without moving it for 5 minutes. As the meat begins to loose its red tint start mixing in onion, peppers, garlic, bay leaves and cumin. Let it cook for 7 minutes until the vegetables become translucent. Then add olives, almonds, raisins, tomato paste and parsley. Make sure to mix it thoroughly with a spoon so that the tomato paste is well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.