Mexican Picadillo

Step 1

Dice the onion into 1/4-inch cubes by first cutting the onion in half from root to tip, then laying each half flat and making horizontal cuts, then crosswise cuts, then lengthwise cuts.

Step 2

Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about the size of pencil-tip dots—by placing the flat side of the knife over each clove and pressing down, then cutting.

Step 3

Cut each green olive in half lengthwise from top to bottom around the pit, discard the pit, and place the halves in a small bowl.

Step 4

Heat the 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot to the touch on the outside, about 90 seconds—this is when you will see wisps of smoke just beginning to form.

Step 5

Add the ground beef to the hot skillet in one clump, then let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes so it browns on the bottom, then break it apart with a wooden spoon into 1-inch chunks.

Step 6

Continue breaking the beef into smaller pieces as it cooks, stirring once every 30 seconds, until no pink remains and the pieces are the size of peas, about 4 more minutes total.

Step 7

Tilt the skillet and use a spoon to push the cooked beef to one side, pouring off excess fat into a small bowl until only 1 tablespoon remains in the pan.

Step 8

Add the diced onion to the same skillet and stir constantly over medium-high heat until the onion pieces soften and turn slightly translucent at the edges, about 2 minutes.

Step 9

Add the minced garlic and stir into the onion, cooking for 30 seconds until the kitchen smells strongly fragrant—this releases the garlic's flavor.

Step 10

Stir in the cumin and oregano, stirring constantly for 20 seconds until the spices smell very fragrant and coat the meat and onion.

Step 11

Pour in the 15-ounce can of tomato sauce and stir everything together with a wooden spoon, scraping up any stuck-on brown bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Step 12

Add the 0.75 cup of olive halves and 0.5 cup of raisins, stir to combine, then reduce heat to medium-low so the sauce simmers gently.

Step 13

Simmer the picadillo uncovered, stirring once every 2 minutes, until the sauce darkens slightly and the raisins are plump and soft, about 8 minutes total.

Step 14

Taste the picadillo and add 0.25 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper, stir well, taste again, and adjust as needed.