Dad’s Cuban Picadillo

From “The Family Table”

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil 2 yellow onions, cut into medium dice 2 green bell peppers, cut into medium dice 2 pounds ground beef ½ teaspoon ground white pepper 2 teaspoons granulated onion 2 teaspoons granulated garlic 1 21-ounce jar pimento-stuffed Manzanilla olives

2 3.5-ounce jars capers and juice 2 28-ounce cans no-salt-added whole peeled tomatoes (1 can drained of juice) Cooked jasmine rice, for serving Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion and bell pepper and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and season with white pepper, granulated onion and granulated garlic. Stir and let the mixture cook through, about 6 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon.

Add 2 cups of the olives, all the olive juice in the jar, the caper juice from both jars and 1½ jars’ worth of capers. Add the tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to crush them. You may save the remaining olives and capers in the freezer in an airtight container without the brine for later use in a pasta dish or salad. They should keep for 6 months. Increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer until the tomatoes and olives break down, 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve the picadillo with jasmine rice and top with cracked black pepper.