Viewer Mail - Key West Mollete? It’s the Picadillo!
I was curious if being familiar with the keys you might know about a place we got stuffed cuban bread from when I was very young…maybe about 1974-1976? It was filled with some kind of a ground beef mixture that was out of this world, the place was very small and had maybe two booths. I wish I had the name of it. I have looked for recipes, tried to recreate it myself in vain, any pointers?
Hi Francie,
I’ve not spent a lot of time in the Keys (Cedar Key is off northwest FL) but I’m pretty sure what you’re remembering is a Key West area favorite locally called a mollete. The word mollete actually means a kind of bread to the Spanish or a sort of pizza in Mexico (an oversimplification to be sure) but in Key West a mollete is a portion of Cuban bread stuffed with picadillo (traditional Cuban spicy ground beef hash) then breaded and deep fried.
The tricky bit here is that picadillo is like saying chili, everyone has their own take on it. In my opinion it’s greatest distinction is the use of cumin and capers, which are like little olives and are found in most grocery stores on the same shelf. They come in a few sizes, for picadillo I prefer the smallest ones that are about half the size of green peas.
Unfortunately I’ve never actually tried to make the deep fried sandwich but if I understand you correctly the spicy beef is mostly what you’re after. Picadillo is very versatile and is used a lot of ways, my favorite is empanadas (fried meat pies) or stuffed potatoes. It also traditionally served with fried plantains and/or black beans and rice.
For a simple experiment to see if you’re getting the spicy meat taste you remember you can serve it over rice or even just alone. Once you find a recipe you like then you can try more complex delivery systems like hollowed out breaded and deep fried Cuban Bread 
Perhaps a good citizen of the Conch Republic will read this and provide some insight but I think a traditional picadillo recipe will get you off to a great start.
Kitchen Warfare Picadillo
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
1 green bell pepper (seeded and finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 ½ cups of diced tomatoes (seeded, peeled)
½ tsp ground cumin
2 tbl small capers
Salt and pepper to taste
In large skillet heat the oil over medium high and add the onion, pepper, garlic and cayenne. Sauté until the onions are softened about 5-6 minutes, then add the beef and break it up and mix everything together as its browning, about 8-10 minutes
Add the tomatoes and the cumin, then cover and simmer on medium low for about 15 minutes.
Add the capers and simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Add the salt and pepper to taste.
Popularity: 7% [?]
Related posts:
- On The Road With Kitchen Warfare (Day 6)
- On The Road With Kitchen Warfare (Day 5)
- A Most Excellent Lasagna
- Hot! Hot! Hot! Red Beans And Sausage
- Recipe: White Garlic Sauce Pizza
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Mollette is a Key West version of the popular Papas Rellanos (Stuffed Potatoes). Since potatoes were hard to come by back in the day, the Caya Hueso Cubanos used Cuban Bread instead of potatoes. The picadillo is a simple version of the meat filling compared to the hash style used in Papas Rellanos.
As for the place you were thinking of, I believe you were talking about either 5 Brothers Grocery Store or John’s Grocery store. Of which I frequented as a youngster while growing up in Key West. Both of which are still in operation of sorts and can provide you a wonderful meal. One other place to visit is Dennis Pharmacy on South Flagler Ave. This is still a staple locale in Key west and should be visited by all who visits there.
Have Fun and eat Up America, its out there to try.
Michael “Kingfish”