NDT- Cooking with Cash-Wa –Picadillo Cigars w/Mojo Ranch

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Picadillo is a traditional Cuban comfort food made from ground beef and a variety a vegetables and seasonings. This is a simple recipe with a ton of flavor suitable to serve with rice as an entrée or in this application as “cigars”. We use phyllo dough in this recipe because it has crispy texture without having to deep fry.

· 1 tablespoon olive oil

· ½ green pepper finely diced

· 1 small onion finely diced

· 3 cloves garlic finely mince

· 1 lb. lean ground beef

· 2 Packets Sazon Goya Coriander and Annatto

· 2 ounces tomato paste

· 8 ounces tomato sauce

· 1 whole bay leaves

· ½ cup white wine

· ½ cup pimento stuffed green olives diced

· 1 oz raisins, chopped

· 1 tablespoon juice from the olive jar

· 8 ounces frozen filo dough sheets one roll from a box of 2 (thawed)

· ½ cup butter melted

Mojo Ranch

· Juice of 1 orange

· Juice of 2 limes

· 1 jalapeno, quartered and seeded

· 2 cloves garlic

· ½ bunch fresh cilantro leaves, packed

· ½ bunch fresh parsley leaves, packed

· 2 tsp. sugar (optional)

· ½ cup sour cream or yogurt

· ½ cup mayonnaise

· Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a 4 qt saucepan. Add green peppers and onions along with a couple of pinches of salt. Stir to coat with oil and cover. Continue to cook without color, stirring frequently, until they begin to wilt. Remove the cover and add garlic. Cook until fragrant.

Add ground beef and cook until beef uncovered until all the moister have evaporated (about 20-25 mins). Add tomato paste and cook until the tomato paste begins to stick to the bottom of the pant.

Add the wine and work up any of the tomato paste that is stuck to the pan using a wooden spoon. Add the tomato sauce, bay leaves, and sazon. Continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the olives, and raisins, and olive juice. Simmer until the mixture has thickened. About 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and spread the mixture onto a baking sheet. Spread it out set aside to cool.

Make the Mojo Ranch by chopping the garlic and jalapeno in a food processor or blender. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Taste for seasoning.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or spraying with baking spray. Melt butter and keep warm.

Cut filo dough sheets in half to form 7-inch by 9-inch rectangles. Cover rectangles with plastic film weighted down with damp towel.

Lay one cut dough sheet onto a work surface and lightly brush with melted butter. Top with an additional dough sheet and brush with melted butter. Place 2 heaping tablespoons picadillo onto the short end of the dough, leaving 2 inches on all sides.

Bring the short end closest to the filling over the top of the filling and roll once. Fold the sides of the dough over the filling and continue rolling into a cigar shape. Place onto a prepared baking sheet. Brush cigar with melted butter. Continue rolling cigars using the above steps.

Place cigars into a preheated 375-degree oven and bake until brown and crispy, about 15 to 20 minutes.