If you know some recipes from Spain then you know that the backbone of Spanish cooking when we talk about savory dishes is onion, garlic, and olive oil. There is a recipe that allows you to cook these and other vegetables to perfection, and have a sauce that can be used in different ways. We are talking about the Spanish sofrito recipe.

Delicious Cuban Picadillo is a Latin America comfort food favorite made with lean ground beef, potatoes, bell peppers, green olives, capers and raisins simmered in a perfectly seasoned tomato sauce.

Pulpeta is the Cuban version of American meat loaf. American meat loaf is usually made from seasoned ground meat binded with eggs and breadcrumbs then baked in the oven usually glazed with ketchup or tomato sauce. In general American meatloaf can be bland and boring (most meat loafs from restaurants and such). Although I must say if done right it can also be delicious. What makes this Cuban version so different? Well for one the meat loaf isn't cooked in the oven. It is fried on the stovetop until well browned or a golden crust forms, then it is simmered in a delicious creole sauce. Generally it will also have hard boiled egg in the center for looks. To be honest in my family we never made Pulpeta, I've only read of it, and seen it on other Cuban blogs. I was craving a delicious Pulpeta and since I don't have a family recipe for it or anything then I decided to come up with my own :) This is my version of the Cuban meatloaf. Ingredients for loaf: -1 1/2 lbs. ground beef -1 1/2 lbs. ground pork -1/2 lbs. ground ham (grind your own in a food processor) -1 heaping tablespoon sweet smoked spanish paprika -1 heaping teaspoon hot smoked spanish paprika -1 heaping teaspoon ground black pepper -1 heaping teaspoon ground oregano -3-4 cloves garlic mashed to a paste -1 1/2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste) -3 large eggs beaten (or 4 regular ones) -1/2 cup bread crumbs or cracker meal -3 hard boiled eggs Ingredients for Sauce: -1/2 cup olive oil (more or less) -1 red or green bell pepper minced -1 onion minced -6-8 cloves garlic minced -1 can 8 oz. tomato sauce -1/2 cup dry white wine -1- 2 cup water -salt to taste -1 teaspoon ground cumin -1/4- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper -2 bay leaves Garnish (optional): 1/4- 1/2 cup sweet peas Directions: (1) Mix ground pork, ground beef, ground ham, with smoked sweet and hot spanish paprika, black pepper, oregano, garlic, salt, eggs, and bread crumbs/ cracker meal. Form into a loaf and cut open, fill with hard boiled egg and let rest in fridge wrapped in plastic wrap or something for about 2 hours. ALSO PLEASE DO NOT OVER MIX it makes the loaf tougher. The meat less tender (2) Now heat a large frying pan on high heat till really hot, lower to medium high, kinda high but not super high, add generous amount of olive oil in a large frying pan allow to heat til it barely smokes. Brown loaf carefully on all sides. (Yes this can be intimidating and hard my mom did it for me while I took pictures ha ha) When well browned set aside. (3) In same pan start forming your sauce sautee onions and bell peppers until onion is translucent about 5-7 minutes on medium high heat, then add garlic and sautee until fragrant another 1-2 minutes, deglaze with wine, add tomato sauce, water, salt, cumin, and bay leaves bring to a boil. (4) Throw sauce in a deep pot, bring back to boil, add browned meatloaf, spoon over sauce, when sauce is boiling cover and simmer on low for about 25 minutes, flip the loaf carefully to the other side spoon sauce over, simmer an additional 25 minutes. Now add minced cilantro and peas all over. (5) You can transfer loaf to a large plate to slice it and leave the rest of the sauce in the pot, use sauce to spoon over slices as much as you like. We served it with simple home made mashed potatoes (potatoes, milk, butter, salt and if you wish a drizzle of good olive oil) which we used the sauce from cooking the loaf as gravy to top the mashed potatoes one could also enjoy it with rice, and also served it with a simple salad (onion, cucumber, tomato, avocado with lemon or lime juice, olive oil, and salt) PLEASE NOTE: *Do your best not to make cracks or openings when browning loaf, because when simmering the meat this sounds gross but the scum or blood whatever is in the meat will clump and ooze out, if this happens scoop it out and remove. *I know not everyone has access to sweet smoked Spanish paprika, or hot smoked Spanish paprika. If you still want to make this just omit it and season with cumin, oregano, and black pepper it will still be delicious but just different. The way I made mine is I wanted it to taste like a cross between sweet savory ham and delicious smokey Spanish chorizo but you can season it however you want, let this recipe be for inspiration, make your own sauce, season the loaf your way, make it yours sometimes the best stuff comes out from experimentation. *If frying 1 large loaf is intimidating or you don't want such a large loaf you can make two small ones and fry both of them and simmer both together in the sauce.

What is sofrito? Learn about this flavourful cooking base of slow-sauteed vegetables used in many Spanish and Latin American dishes

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Share This Post!If you are part of a Cuban family, I don’t need to explain the amazingness of picadillo to you. You already know that it’s the ultimate Cuban comfort food. But if you’ve never had or even heard of picadillo you’re probably wondering, “what’s so great about this ground beef concoction?” Well it’s savory ground beef in a tomato based sauce with spices and a few extra goodies. I know it doesn’t sound particularly exciting…but it’s just plain good! I promise 🙂 CLICK HERE TO PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER! Picadillo is one of those meals that is complete comfort food to me. My (American) husband thinks I’m crazy but I could eat it a couple times a week and never get sick of it! It’s nothing fancy or complicated, but to me, it’s the perfect meal. And if you’re wondering why there’s a banana in the photo…well that’s my Cuban roots. I can’t eat picadillo without a banana on the side. There’s something about that salty/sweet combination that’s just perfection. It start with the same base as any good Cuban recipe…onions, green peppers, and garlic. And this is not a sponsored “[easyazon_link identifier=”B001TA9MDQ” locale=”US” tag=”cocandash-20″ cart=”n”]Adobo[/easyazon_link]” post but […]

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Share This Post!Cuban Chicken Fricassee (or fricase de pollo) is one of my favorite Cuban recipes! It’s dark meat chicken, and potatoes, simmered in a flavorful tomato based sauce. Growing up in a Cuban household (both of my parents were born in Cuba), I grew up eating Cuban Chicken Fricassee and I love being able to share it with my kids now too. Fun fact: my son is the world’s pickiest eater, and he eats this dish! I think it’s because the chicken is slow simmered and so tender (he normally hates meat) and the potatoes also soak up the flavor from the sauce making it a winner with the whole family! How to make Cuban Chicken Fricassee: Making this dish starts with marinating the chicken. This is a crucial step in this dish as you want the chicken to have plenty of flavor! I use a store-bought mojo to save on time for this recipe. (You can find it in the international aisle) Next you’ll brown the chicken in small batches so you don’t crowd them in the pan. You are not cooking the chicken all the way through in this step but just getting a nice brown […]

Sofrito rice is a Puerto Rican version of Spanish rice cooked with sofrito criollo sauce, which is blended with tomatoes and vegetables.