A Cuban Feast: Picadillo, Black Beans and Rice, and Fried Plantains

On the table tonight is some of our favorite Cuban dishes.  This meal may be a little time consuming, but it is so unbelievably worth it!  As most of you know, my husband is half Cuban.  So when Andy's grandmother Abuela is in town, we always have a Cuban feast as I like to call it.

Picadillo, also known as meat hash, is so tasty.  It is ground sirloin with yummy seasonings and green olives (one of my favorites).

The black beans are seriously to die for and I am not a person who cares about black beans all that much, but I cannot get enough of them.  You have to prepare them a day in advance so they can soak overnight, so keep that in mind when you are planning.

Lastly the fried plantains, simple and delicious.

This picture does it no justice, it was taken with my phone.

So here are the recipes:

Picadillo

1 lb ground sirloin
1 can of tomato sauce
4 cloves of crushed garlic
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
8 oz. white wine
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped green olives
1/4 cup of capers
1 tsp oregano

Brown meat and vegetables in garlic.  Add wine, olives, capers, oregano and tomato sauce after meat has browned.  Let simmer 1 hour - all day long if you can.  The longer it simmers, the tastier in our opinion.

The Black Beans (Allow for soaking overnight)

1 14 oz. package of dried black beans
2 quarts of water
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cumin
1 green pepper, cleaned and cut into quarters
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 cup pure Spanish olive oil (regular olive oil works fine)
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup dry white Sherry wine
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin
6 cups cooked white rice

Rinse beans and discard any stones and debris.  In a large pot, soak beans overnight in water with baking soda, oregano, cumin, and green pepper.
The next day cook beans in same water on medium-low heat for about 3 hours or until the beans are very tender and liquid is reduced, and somewhat thickened.  Make sure liquid in pot does not entirely boil away.  To prevent beans from burning, add more water when necessary (I have found 2 cups does the trick).
In a small pan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent and begins to brown.  Add several large spoonfuls of the black beans to this mixture and stir, simmering several minutes.  Return this mixture of onions and black beans to the large pot of beans.  Mix well and add vinegar, wine, salt and remaining cumin.  Cook another 20 minutes.  Serve over white rice.

The Plantains:

3 - 4 ripened plantains

Slice about 1/4 inch thick.  Fry in a little bit of vegetable oil until brown on each side.  Remove from oil and let cool.  Use the bottom of a glass to smash each slice.  Salt to taste.

Getting to smell this food every time you walk in the house all day long is a treat in itself.  It makes a house smell like a home.  We hope you enjoy this meal as much as we do!

Stuffed,

Brittany