This is one of the classic dishes of Cuban gastronomy, the favorite dish of many Cubans: a fixed option on the menu of restaurants and on the table of every house. Even so, like all dishes, the recipe of Cuban «ropa vieja» has its complexity and its tricks to make it well. It is not a matter of just throwing everything in and letting it cook by itself. This article tells you the origin of this classic dish and the ingredients to make Cuban ropa vieja: a recipe that will never fail you.
«Ropa vieja»: the origin
Where did «ropa vieja» come from? Many may believe that this classic gastronomic dish was conceived in Cuba but, like many important dishes of Latin American gastronomy, its origin dates back to medieval Spain.
The way of elaboration was adopted thanks to the Sephardic cuisine, at that time stews and stews were the most common dishes. This was due to the scarcity and the fact that resources were very limited at that time, and therefore every ingredient had to be used to the maximum. Thus arose the idea of shredding the meat so that it could yield more and feed more people.
A wave of immigrants from the Canary Islands brought this dish to America, more specifically to the countries of the Caribbean Sea. That is why you can find Ropa Vieja in Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and, as we all know, Cuba, where it kept its original name and became a classic.
As happens with many dishes, so much has happened since its origin that the dish undergoes modifications or takes on new ingredients. However, be that as it may, «ropa vieja» will always be an exquisite, classic Cuban dish in which nothing is wasted.
How to make Cuban «ropa vieja»?
Let’s start at the beginning: the ingredients.
For the stew:
- 850 grams of beef brisket
- Water
- A radish
- Two carrots
- Salt
- One leek
- A stick of celery
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Two bay leaves
For the «ropa vieja»:
- Beef shredded from the stew
- Three tablespoons of olive oil
- One large onion cut into julienne strips
- Half a red bell pepper cut into julienne strips
- Half a green bell pepper cut in julienne strips
- A ripe tomato, first remove the skin and cut it into pieces
- A little fresh red chili pepper, finely chopped
- Garlic, three cloves or to taste
- Cilantro
- Cumin to taste
- 100 ml of white wine
- 200 ml of the meat broth resulting from the stew
- 150 ml of fried tomato
- Black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste.
Remember that these products and much more can be found at the Mandao market and at our agromarket!
How to prepare the stew?
- First of all, you need to trim excess fat from the meat.
- Then, take the celery, leek, parsley, and cilantro and make a bundle to be easily removed from the broth. We can also put it without tying, then we will have to strain the preparation.
- In a pressure cooker, place the water (about three liters), the meat for «ropa vieja» cleaned of fat, the bundle of herbs, two carrots, the turnip, the two bay leaves, and a spoonful of salt.
- We cover the pot, we put it to cook with the fire to the maximum. Once it takes the pressure and starts to beep, releasing steam, lower the heat to medium intensity and let it cook for half an hour.
- Remove from the heat, and release all the pressure in the pot.
- Let it cool and we start to shred the meat.
- Reserve about 200 ml of the broth for our «ropa vieja» recipe.
This part of the recipe can be made overnight. We can leave it ready, put a film on it and keep it in the refrigerator. The next day we will only have to prepare the «ropa vieja».
How to prepare «ropa vieja»
Now that we have prepared the stew, we can focus on the «ropa vieja». It is recommended to have all the ingredients ready before starting. In the first place, cut the onion, and the bell pepper into julienne strips. Then cut in pieces the chili pepper. Put the garlic, cumin, coriander, and salt to taste in a mortar and pestle; grind to obtain a paste. Concerning the tomato, it is necessary to remove the skin and cut it into pieces. The rest of the ingredients for the ropa vieja should be at hand.
- In a pot with a lid, heat the olive oil. Once we consider that it is at temperature, we add the onion. Leave it until it is transparent, soft, and tender; now add the peppers, add a little salt and let it fry for about 5 minutes.
- Incorporate the tomato and mix well. Add the paste we made with the garlic, cumin, and coriander. Mix everything again and let it fry for another five minutes.
- Our Cuban dish is coming! We are now ready to add the shredded meat.
- Add the black pepper and mix.
- Increase the temperature of the fire, just a little, and add the white wine.
- Once the wine has evaporated, add the beef.
- Add the fried tomato and turn the heat to medium intensity.
- Stir everything so that it integrates.
- We test if the salt is correct: it is the moment to rectify if it is lacking.
- Cover with the lid and let it cook for about twenty minutes or half an hour until it has the consistency we like.
- Remove from the fire.
- Finally, we can serve, eat and enjoy our dish of «ropa vieja».
While our preparation is resting, you can make some delicious tostones, a bowl of white rice to accompany it, or a piece of avocado. We can choose the accompaniment that we like the most and that is easiest to make. Some houses also use chips as an accompaniment or just bread, as the sauce invites you to eat it that way.