I always knew when we were going to have steak picado in my house. My grandfather who was a butcher for most of his working life would bring home a sirloin steak and cut it into cubes. This ritual was usually followed with him chopping up bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños. A little drizzle of oil would carefully get circled into the hot pan and then a sizzle of raw meat quickly followed as it touched the scorching cast iron pan. I would unfailingly offer my services, and he would respond by telling me ” just sit down and keep me company, or you can wash the dishes as I cook.” I would do a little of both, as I looked over my shoulder trying to learn the tricks of the trade. He was such a creature of habit with the routine sprinkle of spices on the meat… a pinch of cumin, oregano, and salt.  While the meat simmered he would start on the rest of the meal and make a starch as an accompaniment, usually a pan of refried beans. At the time I wasn’t a fan of beans, so considering that I was his co-pilot (or as my aunts and uncles referred to me: spoiled granddaughter ) he would make me a small side of fideo, or conchas, or estrellas to eat with my soon to be made steak picado. That’s the way I came to love it as a young kid, and still crave the pasta companion to this day with my steak picado. A few years ago, I decided instead of making the pasta on the side, why not add it directly into the steak picado? This would allow for the pasta to soak up all the flavor of the liquid and I would be able to satisfy the best of both worlds in one pot. Fortunately for me Barilla has a wide selection of high quality pastas to choose from, sometimes I may add a handful of cut spaghetti, or stelline (little stars), or shells, or elbows, or collezione. They all work and they all have that special taste that takes me right back to being a little girl eating steak picado and pasta with my Grandpa.

Ingredients for Steak Picado Pasta:

• 2 to 3 pounds sirloin steak (cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes)
• 1/2 – teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 – teaspoon salt
• 1/2 – teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 – teaspoon black pepper
• 2 – tablespoons olive oil
• 1 – onion (chopped)
• 1 – yellow bell pepper (sliced into 1/2 inch pieces)
• 1 – red bell pepper (sliced into 1/2 inch pieces)
• 2 – jalapeños (stems removed – sliced in half)
• 5 – garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
• 4 – tomatoes (chopped)
• 3 – bay leaves
• 1/2 – teaspoon chile flakes
• 2 – cups beef broth
• 1/2 – pound Barilla pasta (I used collezione)

Directions:

1. Add meat to bowl and sprinkle with cumin, salt, oregano, and black pepper. Mix with hands. 
2. In a large cast iron pan or dutch oven over a medium high flame add in olive oil. Allow to get hot.
3. Add in cubed steak and sear on each side until browned about 2 minutes. Remove meat from pan and set to the side. 
4. In the same pan sauté onion, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, jalapeños, and garlic for about 10 minutes or until onion is slightly translucent. 
5. Add in tomatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Add browned meat back to the pan with sautéed veggies. Mix to combine. 
7. Add in bay leaves, chile flakes, and beef broth. The broth should just barely cover the meat. 
8. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover with a lid, and lower the flame to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes.
9. When the meat is close to being done, cook pasta according to box. 
10. Then remove from water and add directly into steak picado. 
11. Mix it in to combine. 
12. Serve and enjoy!

Follow my pasta dishes with these hashtags:  #PastaATúEstilo and #ItsPossibleWithBarilla

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Barilla, however,  my opinions are entirely my own, and I have not been paid to publish positive sentiments towards Barilla or their products.