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Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja is a traditional Cuban recipe for a classic stew of beef, vegetables, chillies, plum tomatoes and onions cooked slowly until the beef is tender and the flavours meld and which is served on a bed of rice. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Cuban version of: Ropa Vieja.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

195 minutes

Total Time:

215 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating:

Tags : Chilli RecipesBeef RecipesVegetable RecipesCuba Recipes

This is a classic Cuban stew whose name literally means 'Old Clothes' in Spanish. The dish itself originates from Canary Islands by way of Spain. The recipe was brought along with Spanish ships coming to the Americas and though considers the Cuban version of this dish to be the 'classic' form it is also a part of Panamanian, an Dominican cuisine. A very similar dish is also prepared in Venezuela and Nicaragua [known as carne mechada] (though black beans and fried plantains tend to be added in these versions).

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, quartered
1 medium onion, sliced
900g skirt or flank steak
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 celery stick, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 aji cito chillies (these are hot yellow chillies, substitute the hot chilli of your choice), minced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
180g fresh plum tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
40g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method:

Add the onion quarters to a large stock pot along with the meat, carrot, celery and bay leaf. Cover with plenty of water, slowly bring to a simmer then cook, uncovered, for about 2 hours, skimming frequently.

The meat should be very tender, and when ready remove from the broth and set aside. Strain the broth through a sieve (discard the vegetables) and return to the pan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until the volume reduces by half (about 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and use this to cook the onion, garlic, chillies and bell peppers until softened (about 10 minutes). Add 360ml of the reduced stock and the tomatoes. Return to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Trim the beef of any fat, shred into pieces abut 5cm long then stir into the stock along with the oregano, parsley and cumin. Cook for a further 15 minutes for the flavours to incorporate then serve on a bed of white rice.