Embark on a culinary journey to the heart of Mexican cuisine as we explore the delectable dish of ropa vieja. This classic recipe, originating from the vibrant streets of Mexico, has tantalized taste buds for generations and promises an explosion of flavors in every bite. Whether you're a seasoned cook or just starting your culinary adventures, this article will guide you through the process of creating an authentic and mouthwatering ropa vieja that will transport you to the bustling markets and lively kitchens of Mexico.
Let's cook with our recipes!
ROPA VIEJA
The way tender flank steak shreds into thin pieces gives this dish the name that translates literally to "old clothes." My abuela would first cook the meat in her stovetop pressure cooker, shred it and then simmer it with the tomato, onion and bell pepper sauce. In my take on this Cuban classic, I like to braise the meat right in the sauce, so all the juices marry together giving it even more depth. Some versions of ropa vieja skip the olives, capers or pimientos, but I love their salty contrast.
Provided by Gabriela Rodiles
Categories main-dish
Time 2h
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pat the flank steak completely dry with a paper towel. Cut in half or thirds (across the grain) if needed to fit into your pot in a single layer. Season with 2 teaspoons salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the steak in a single layer and cook until a deep brown crust develops, 5 to 8 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onions and peppers to the same pot. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few cracks black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano; stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it starts to develop color, about 1 minute. Add the vino seco to deglaze and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato sauce, beef stock and bay leaf. Stir to incorporate. Nestle the steak in the sauce, submerging it slightly. Be sure to add any accumulated juices from the plate.
- Cover and cook in the oven until the meat shreds easily with two forks, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Transfer the pot back to the stovetop. Remove the steak to a cutting board or medium bowl and shred into long thin pieces using two forks. Meanwhile, simmer the sauce over low heat until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Return the steak to the pot and stir to combine. Add the lime juice and olives, capers or pimientos, if using.
- Serve with white rice and black beans.
ROPA VIEJA (CUBAN BEEF)
This Cuban braised beef dish literally translates to 'old clothes,' because apparently some people thought the fall-apart meat and colorful strips of onions and peppers, tangled together, looked like old, tattered clothing. You'll love this dish if you're into big, bold flavors, since there's nothing subtle about the seasoning here. Delicious served with beans, rice, and plantain chips. Garnish with more cilantro.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Stews Beef
Time 11h30m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- Cut flank steak in half across the grain. Mix salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Season both sides generously with the salt mixture.
- Heat olive oil in a pot over high heat. Add steaks and cook until outsides are well browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove steaks to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add red onion, garlic, and more of the salt seasoning. Cook and stir until starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cloves, and allspice. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour in white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.
- Return beef and accumulated juices to the pot. Season with salt and add bay leaves. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beef is almost fork-tender, not falling apart, about 2 hours.
- Remove pot from heat and let stew cool to room temperature, at least 45 minutes. Refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight, for best results.
- Remove beef to a plate and set stew over medium heat. Tear beef along the grain into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-wide shreds; place back in the stew. Add bell peppers, poblanos, smoked paprika, capers, olives, and sugar. Stir together and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until peppers are soft and meat is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove bay leaves, and stir in cilantro.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 209 calories, Carbohydrate 10.4 g, Cholesterol 27.5 mg, Fat 12.5 g, Fiber 2.6 g, Protein 11.9 g, SaturatedFat 3.1 g, Sodium 1275 mg, Sugar 5.1 g
CUBAN ROPA VIEJA
This is great shredded beef served on tortillas or over rice. Add sour cream, cheese, and fresh cilantro on the side.
Provided by Kate Phillips Masterson
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Caribbean
Time 4h15m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
- Transfer beef to a slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 260.5 calories, Carbohydrate 9.9 g, Cholesterol 47.6 mg, Fat 15.8 g, Fiber 2.3 g, Protein 20.5 g, SaturatedFat 5.3 g, Sodium 599.2 mg, Sugar 5.9 g
ROPA VIEJA TACOS
Got a pressure cooker? Make these quick and easy Ropa Vieja Tacos, topped with shredded cheese and chopped fresh cilantro.
Provided by My Food and Family
Categories Home
Time 1h15m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Mix tomato sauce and dressing in pressure cooker. Top with steak, vegetables and garlic; cover with lid. Lock lid in place. Cook on medium-high heat until pressure vent locks in place and regulator begins to rock gently. Reduce heat gradually to maintain slow steady rocking motion; cook on low heat 30 min. Remove from heat. Let stand 10 min. or until pressure vent drops.
- Shred meat; place in large skillet. Cook on medium heat 2 min., stirring frequently. Meanwhile, skim fat from surface of cooking liquid in pressure cooker; ladle 2 cups liquid into medium bowl. Add vegetables; mix well. Discard any remaining cooking liquid.
- Add vegetable mixture to meat in skillet; cook 10 min. or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon onto tortillas; top with cheese and cilantro.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 460, Fat 20 g, SaturatedFat 8 g, TransFat 0 g, Cholesterol 90 mg, Sodium 670 mg, Carbohydrate 0 g, Fiber 6 g, Sugar 0 g, Protein 33 g
MEXICAN ROPA VIEJA
Something from south-of-the-border. Let the meat simmer until it is so tender you can gently pull it apart, then pack it in a tortilla. Spices and mild chiles give it a little heat.
Provided by Alan in SW Florida
Categories Stew
Time 2h45m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Heat oil in a large flameproof casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper, green pepper and garlic; cook until onion is translucent and peppers are softened, for about 8 minutes.
- Stir in cumin and oregano; cook for about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and broth.
- Season steak with salt and pepper. Add steak to pot; cover and bring to simmering. Simmer about 2 hours or until meat is very tender, turning meat occasionally.
- Remove meat; let cool briefly. cut across the grain into 2-inch-thick slices. Using two forks, pull slices apart into shreds.
- Heat tomato sauce remaining in pot to rapid boiling. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add green chiles and corn. Heat to boiling; cook 5 minutes.
- Add shredded beef, jalapeno, and cilantro. Heat to boiling. Serve with warmed tortillas.
ROPA VIEJA (MEXICO)
Tender beef is shredded and browned, then folded into warm tortillas along with crisp veggies and your choice of garnish for an upscale taco night! *Prep time does not include 30 minutes cooling.
Provided by FolkDiva
Categories Meat
Time 2h15m
Yield 6 tacos, 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Place meat in a large pan and cover with beef stock and water. Add the carrot and half the garlic along with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Skim the surface then recover the pan and cook the meat gently for 2 hours, or until very tender (should shred easily with a fork).
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the meat cool in the liquid. When cool enough to handle, remove from the liquid and shred with your fingers and a fork.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add the remaining garlic, the onions, and chilies and cook until tender and onions are soft and translucent. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the meat to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until browned and crisp. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with the onion mixture and surround with the tomatoes, cilantro, green onion and lime wedges. Serve with warmed tortillas. Enjoy!
ROPA VIEJA
Flank steak braised with vegetables and aromatics until it shreds into strands is the national dish of Cuba, though the cooking process is popular throughout Central America and the Caribbean. In Cuba, it's called ropa vieja, which translates to old clothes, a reference to the beef's tattered appearance. In Venezuela and Colombia, you'd call it carne desmechada. This version starts with a sautéed base of peppers and onions, which is further enhanced with olives, capers, raisins and tomatoes. The flavorful mixture works equally well with flank steak, pork butt or even chicken thighs. Serve it with cooked black beans and rice.
Provided by J. Kenji López-Alt
Categories dinner, meat, one pot, main course
Time 3h
Yield 6 cups (4 servings)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Season beef or pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high until lightly smoking. Working in batches as needed, cook the meat in a single layer, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch, reducing heat as necessary if the oil smokes excessively.
- Add braised peppers and onions, tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers and chicken stock. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, cover with the lid slightly cracked, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any crust that has formed at the edges of the pan back into the liquid, until meat is completely tender and shreds easily with two forks, about 2 1/2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Shred meat with two forks, and serve immediately with white rice, black beans and hearty greens. Ropa vieja can also be shredded, allowed to cool, and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will improve in texture and flavor with time.
ZARELA MARTINEZ'S ROPA VIEJA
Sometimes the most humble ingredients make for the finest of meals, as Regina Schrambling wrote in 1988. Growing up in a tiny Arizona town among many Mexican neighbors, Ms. Schrambling learned early on of the rich flavors that can be coaxed from the simplest food. This ropa vieja, from the chef Zarela Martinez, embodies that philosophy. Garlic and peppercorns infuse a flank steak with flavor, which is then cooked shortly with a mixture of sautéed garlic, onions and poblano peppers. Hot, tucked into a tortilla, it's a testament to the power of a long cook.
Provided by Regina Schrambling
Categories dinner, main course
Time 2h30m
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Cut the flank steak in half horizontally so it will fit into a large Dutch oven. Place it in the pot and cover it with the water. Add the six whole cloves of garlic, along with the peppercorns and salt as desired. Place over low heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the Dutch oven and continue cooking over low heat, turning the meat occasionally, until it is tender and well done, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- While the meat is stewing, heat the broiler. Rinse and dry the peppers. Arrange them in a broiler pan about four inches from the flame. Roast them, turning frequently, until they are evenly blistered and charred on all sides. Transfer to a paper bag, seal it and let the peppers sit until cool enough to handle.
- Remove the cooled peppers from the bag and slice off the top of each. Scrape out the seeds and slip off the skins with your fingers (wear rubber gloves if your hands are sensitive). Slice each pepper lengthwise into strips an eighth of an inch wide. Set aside.
- When the meat is tender, remove the Dutch oven from the heat and let the meat cool in its own broth. When it cools enough to handle, remove it from the broth and place it on a cutting board. Slice the meat across the grain into strips about two inches across. Using your fingers, pull the meat into fine shreds. Return it to the cooking broth.
- Heat the lard or other fat in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until it is rippling. Crush the sliced garlic cloves and add to the hot fat. Saute for one minute, stirring frequently. Add the sliced onion and saute, stirring frequently, until it is somewhat soft, about three minutes. Add the reserved pepper strips to the pan and continue sauteing and stirring for about two minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peppers, onion and garlic to the Dutch oven. Cook the meat mixture, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the flavors are blended, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the meat hot, rolled up in heated flour tortillas.
Tips:
- Use flank steak or skirt steak: These cuts are less tender than other cuts of beef, but they have a lot of flavor and are perfect for ropa vieja.
- Cook the beef in a Dutch oven or slow cooker: This will help to tenderize the meat and make it fall apart easily.
- Add plenty of vegetables: This will add flavor and nutrition to the dish. Common vegetables used in ropa vieja include bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and carrots.
- Use a flavorful broth: The broth will help to flavor the meat and vegetables. You can use beef broth, chicken broth, or even vegetable broth.
- Simmer the ropa vieja for at least 1 hour: This will allow the flavors to meld and the meat to become tender.
- Serve the ropa vieja with rice, beans, or tortillas: This is a traditional way to serve ropa vieja in Cuba.
Conclusion:
Ropa vieja is a delicious and versatile dish that can be made with a variety of ingredients. It is a popular dish in Cuba and is often served at celebrations and gatherings. If you are looking for a new and flavorful dish to try, ropa vieja is a great option. It is easy to make and can be tailored to your own taste preferences.
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