Cuban Food...short cuts

So, if you're in the mood to dish up your ground beef in a new and tasty way(yes, your family will eat this!), try this easy recipe I learned from my cousin. I may be forgetting a couple things...but a couple of years ago, when she showed me, this is what I came away with, and I've been making it faithfully for a couple of years. It's a great way to feed company when you're on a budget, too! :) Showing love to friends and family by feeding them is essential; spending a fortune is not.

And no, I am not claiming that this is AUTHENTIC Cuban. If you are Cuban, or have family or friends who are, be assured I would LOVE a personal cooking lesson to hone my skills! Come on over and teach me!

Piccadillo
1 medium onion, minced
1 sm. head of garlic, minced(yes, fresh. It's better, I promise!)
1 small green bellpepper, chopped

1 lb. ground beef(or bison)

1 lg.(family)can mild Rotel,DRAINED, or 1 can chopped tomatoes + 1 sm. can chopped gr. chilis or2 C. fresh-grown chopped garden tomatoes and 1/3 cup green chilies
2 cans tomato sauce
about 1 cup green manzanilla pimento-stuffed olives

rice

Saute the first 3 ingredients in an enameled Dutch oven, or stainless pot or wok.
When onions are almost clear, add ground meat and continue stirring until meat is just barely cooked(break up into smaller pieces).
Add Rotel, or whatever combo of tomatoes and chilies you are using, as well as the tomato sauce. If you'd rather substitute a can of tomato paste for one of the sauces, that works too--just be attentive to your sauce and don't let it burn!
SIMMER for about 15-30 minutes, or longer. You can make it a crock pot meal at this point, or any point after you saute the first three ingredients.
When company arrives, or you just can't take it anymore, season well with Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoned salt(if you're 'cadienne you'll say "tony's" and everyone will know what you're talking about). You can buy it at WalMart, no matter where you live.
If you like, you can add additional sea salt and pepper(if it's not freshly ground black pepper, it'll be underwhelming...maybe you should forget about it, then!).
Add green olives at the last minute, to warm slightly. If you leave them in the whole time, their wonderful texture will be wrecked. Just don't do it. I usually only add what I'll need to serve the diners for that meal, so that I can warm the leftovers the next day and add nice, firm olives to that batch when I need them. This recipe=excellent leftovers. Your husband will BEG to be the one to eat them. They improve with time...and the tomatoes preserve this dish quite well. It is refrigerator-stable for several days, with proper handling(if it lasts that long!).

Serve on the side of(yes, on the side of) Moros y Christianos.

Moros y Christianos
Take out some dry black beans. Yes, dry. They're cheaper and healthier for your family, since you control how much salt is added and they're free of all the other scary stuff you don't care for. They taste good too, and isn't that why we're cooking, anyway?
Soak overnight, with a little bit of acid(apple cider vinegar or red wine).
Drain, and cook on med. heat for 4-6 hours in water. No precise measurements here, just don't let them boil dry. And for heaven's sake, please cook your beans with a fat and an acid.

I use red wine and coconut oil+butter for my black beans. IF you don't have time/forget to soak your beans, throw them on anyway, in the morning in the crock pot on high or in the afternoon on the stove top on high(be warned, you need to keep an eye on them when you rush 'em!).
You absolutely should throw a whole head of fresh garlic in there, minced, for the entire cook time if possible. It is a good rule to follow that you should NEVER salt your vegetables until the end of their cook time, because it toughens them. This especially is true of beans...and as far as any flavor is concerned, you may depend on the wine, butter, and garlic to provide delicious flavor and creamy, perfect texture. No gritty, tough, chewy beans will rest in your pot when it's time for supper!

Serve these wonderful black beans, seasoned to taste at the end of course, over a fragrant bed of rice. I prefer jasmine or basmati rice, because they have delicious aromas while cooking and are versatile accompaniments to many different ethnic cuisines. Also, they're easy to cook and yummy! See my post on rice cooking if you need help cooking the perfect pot....