Picadillo

I'm moving this month.  One of my least favorite things is moving.  I don't have many things, but I move about every two years.

If I had a house full of stuff, moving would be unbearable.  I would probably end up paying someone to do for me.

When I moved to this area, all of my things fit into two large pieces of luggage and a carry on.  My stuff since then has multiplied.  I have more shoes, cloths, and junk.

A benefit of moving is I end up de-cluttering.  I have given away books and clothes I never wear.  I have thrown away piles of random pieces of paper.  I sound like a hoarder, but I promise I'm not.

I found this Picadillo recipe on allrecipes.  This version is supposedly Cuban, but it's made in many Latin American Countries, Spain, and the Philippines.  The name comes from the Spanish word picar, which means to mince or to chop. 

I added more green olives and green bell peppers than directed.  The ingredients are 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 small onion, 3/4 chopped green bell pepper, 1 pound lean ground beef, 1/2 cup quartered green onions, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce, 2 packages sazon seasoning, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon white sugar, salt, and pepper.

I heated the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  I cooked the onion, green bell pepper, and garlic for five minutes.

I added the ground beef to the skillet.  I browned and crumbled the beef for seven minutes.

I added the olives, raisins,  and tomato sauce.

I added the sazon, cumin, sugar, and salt.  Instead of buying one box of sazon with many little packets, I bought two boxes.  I have no idea what I'm going to do with that much sazon.

I stirred all the ingredients together, covered the pan, and let it simmer for seven minutes. 

This was a pleasurable and mouthwatering dish.

The flavors were savory and tangy.

There was a salty, bitterness from the olives and chewy sweetness from the raisin.

The ingredients melded into a pleasurable dish.

The meat cooks down to a fine texture, and raisins become plump from the appetizing juices.

This was an excellent recipe.  I'm glad I added extra olives.  Don't skimp on the olives!