hey cheezz, my cubemate's wife shared her award-winning Ropa Vieja recipe!

M

marilynfl

Moderator
(Many thanks to Denise L for generously sharing her recipe.)

Beef Chuck underblade (Pot Roast, boneless). From the image it looked like it was about 3" thick and 8" long.

Season roast with salt and pepper and fresh garlic or garlic powder

Add to large pot with olive oil brown roast on all sides

Once browned add water to almost cover entire roast.

Heat on high to roaring boil for at least 2 hours (depending on size) while frequently refilling water in pot until the roast becomes "soft" enough to shred (the shredding may take some effort this cut of meat is not super tender) you can also use a flank steak which is more "shreddable" but I chose this one because it's cheaper and gives more meat for hungry people!

Remove roast allow it to cool long enough for shredding. Shred with your hands or knife and add the meat to remaining stock on the stove.

Next you will add to the existing stock:

2 large cans of peeled plum tomatoes (which you will chop) or diced with all liquid.

1/2 can to 1 small can of tomato paste

3 small cans of regular Goya tomato sauce

2 bay leaves

A few dashes of cumin (1 tblsp)

1/4 to 1/2 cup of sofrito (Denise makes her own)

Dashes of black pepper and/or red pepper flakes if you want a little heat

2 large onions cut in strips or squares

1 jar of roasted red bell peppers (pictured) or 2 fresh red bell peppers

2 large green peppers cut in to strips not too small because they will disappear after this continues to cook

10 Spanish olives

Bring all to a boil med/high heat stirring frequently and cover for at least another hour. Taste for salt and add according to your desire. Reduce heat to low/medium and simmer for another 35-1 hour. Then it should be done.

It's a lengthy process but it's certainly worth it.

https://recipeswap.org/fun/wp-content/uploads/Finer_Kitchens/Ropa.jpg~original

 
We love ropa vieja - I'll have to try this recipe! Here is our friend's black beans and rice recipe

I do my recipe in a crockpot - works really well to cook the meat until it falls apart. We like to make all kinds of things with it besides just serving it the traditional way. Serve it with the cilantro lime rice - make rice bowls, burritos, tacos, you name it. We can't get enough of it.

Luis was a coworker of my husband and he is from Cuba, in fact, he and Georgina still have such a heavy accent it is hard to understand them.

CUBAN BLACK BEANS & RICE
This comes from Luis Noble as translated by Gary House. Luis and Gary worked with Jeff at the Corps of Engineers. Luis and his wife Georgina came here from Cuba so this is the real deal.
1 package black beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups rice
4 cups water

Procedure
1 Soak beans overnight.
2 Sauté onions and peppers in olive oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients to beans along with the onions and bell pepper.
3 Cook beans 2 to 3 hours on simmer until done. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
4 Cook rice per package directions.
5 Serve the black beans over a bed of white rice.
Servings: 8

 
LOVE Ropa Vieja!! I am definitely going to try this recipe. Would Denise care to share her

Sofrito recipe? I am sure that makes a huge difference. Roma Vieja just is pure comfort food to me. I have been recently using my crock pot or oven, as I find that the stove method requires too much attention for me. I also use Goya Sofrito and flank steak. (Not sure why on the cut of beef, probably because that was the first way I learned to make it, so I have stuck with it).

Thanks much for sharing this recipe!

 
Cooks Illustrated featured Ropa Vieja in the latest issue

SERVES 6 TO 8

Look for a brisket that is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches thick. Serve with steamed white rice and beans. Another good accompaniment is our recipe for Fried Sweet Plantains (see related content).

INGREDIENTS

1 (2-pound) beef brisket, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch
Salt and pepper
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, halved and sliced thin
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup pitted green olives, chopped coarse
3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut brisket against grain into 2-inch-wide strips. Cut any strips longer than 5 inches in half crosswise. Season beef on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown beef on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to large plate and set aside. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until softened and pan bottom develops fond, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl and set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty pot, then add anchovies, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, and bay leaves. Return beef and any accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer over high heat. Transfer to oven and cook, covered, until beef is just tender, 2 to 2 1/4 hours, flipping meat halfway through cooking.

2. Transfer beef to cutting board. Remove and discard bay leaves. When beef is cool enough to handle, shred into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Meanwhile, add olives and reserved vegetables to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat; simmer until thickened and measures 4 cups, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in beef. Add vinegar. Season with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste; serve.

 
I looked at a couple of recipes also and found it interesting that

most recommended flank or brisket, which to me, when cooked and shredded in a braise like this has pretty distinct "shreds" (unlike a chuck, which is delicious, but not as striated as these other cuts). And most cut those cuts of meat into short pieces to cook them.
and in the original recipe, I found it interesting that they "boiled it hard" rather than just braising low and slow and getting the meat tender.
I've never made this but the combo looks unbeatable for great flavors

 
I have three recipes from a poster here who introduced herself years ago

saying she cooked for a very particular person. The recipes included Ropa Vieja, beef broth and finally a beef bourguignon. They were all very good.
Does anyone recall that? I will look it up later today. I seem to recall she was from San Francisco at that time.

 
Was it e. in SF?

I made her recipe for Ropa Vieja and it was excellent. I looked through all my recipes and I can't find it, so please share it. All of her recipes were so good. Thanks!

 
Yes it was...I wonder if one can find it in the old Gail's Recipe Swap?

I will get to it tomorrow and post.

 
Sofrito: The final amount varies depending on size of vegetables.

2 fresh tomatoes
2 green peppers, cleaned
2 large onions
4 aji dulce peppers, cleaned
4 cubano pepper, cleaned
4 large garlic cloves
culantro leaves
cilantro leaves
salt, pepper, Adobo, Sazon

Add all to food processor. Taste for seasoning. Freeze in 1/2 C servings.

 
Thanks, Pat! I had that one in Mastercook, but was confused

by there being no beef in the ingredients.

 
Here are a few more of e's recipes. REC: Arroz con Pollo, Pozole, Jambalaya, Grammy's Fried Chicken

* Exported from MasterCook *

e's Arroz con Pollo

Recipe By :e. in sf
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Latin American

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 yellow onion -- diced
2 cloves garlic -- minced
4 cups chicken stock
3 tomatoes -- diced large
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves -- minced
2 jalapeño or serrano chiles -- halved (you
1 can remove them after the cooking process
is done if you don't like them -- but make
sure you include them -- they do add
flavor)
1 small jar capers (half the liquid drained)
4 skinless -- boneless chicken
breasts, cubed
2 cups uncooked white rice
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt/pepper

Place 1 T. olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot. Heat and add onion. Sauté until translucent, then add garlic. Sauté until garlic is cooked. Add tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos, capers and broth. Slowly bring the broth to a simmer. In another large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat the remaining 2 T. olive oil. Add the rice. Over high heat, brown the rice until it ceases to be opaque and some of the grains are
caramel to light brown in color (you might think to skip this step in the effort to save fat and time, but it is very important. Without browning the rice, you will end up with a gummy, gluey, unappetizing mess.) Once the rice is brown, add it to the broth (it
will bubble up --sort of like Chinese Sizzling Rice Soup, so add the rice slowly). Gently stir in the chicken cubes. Bring to a boil and reduce to the very lowest setting on your stovetop. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Turn of the heat and let sit for about 15 minutes. This will serve 6 people. Serve it with black or refried
beans, salsa and tortillas.

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* Exported from MasterCook *

e's Pozole

Recipe By :e. in SF
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pozole

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. pork shoulder meat
1 yellow onion -- chopped
2 cloves garlic -- crushed
4 crumbled chile pequin -- to taste (4 to 5)
2 tomatoes -- roasted, peeled,
seeded and chopped very finely
3 quarts rich chicken stock
3 cups cooked white hominy
Garnish:
1 white onion -- chopped
2 teaspoons oregano
juice of 1 lime
quatered limes
thinly sliced jalapeno

Heat olive oil in large stock pot. Add pork meat and brown well. Add onion and cook until tranluscent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add chiles and tomatoes. Saute for approximately 5 minutes. Add broth and simmer for 45 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add hominy and simmer an additional 15 minutes.Combine the chopped white onion, oregano and lime juice. Serve the soup with corn tortillas, the onion garnish and limes. For added spice add slices of jalapeno.

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* Exported from MasterCook *

e.'s Grammy's Fried Chicken

Recipe By :e. in SF
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Poultry

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method12 chicken boneless -- skinless chicken
breasts
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
2 teaspoons thyme
2 cans evaporated milk -- (14 oz)
2 eggs
2 cups flour -- (2 to 3)
1/3 cup Lawry's seasoned salt (orange label)
lots o' freshly ground pepper
1 large can Crisco shortening

Trim the breasts of all ookies. Combine sage and thyme and rub sparingly into chicken.
Place the pieces in a large zip loc. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning, whisk the eggs and milk together and add them to the zip loc bag. Seal the bag well and toss the chicken around. Let marinate at least 6 hours. In a large, shallow pan (I use a 12" cake pan) combine the flour, seasoned salt and pepper. Melt the Crisco (setting aside one cup for the biscuits) in a large, deep pan -- preferably a cast iron one. Here's where it gets tricky. I have no clue how hot the oil is degree wise, I just know that it looks wavy but is not smoking at all and when I sprinkle a little flour in, it bubbles quickly and browns the flour in an instant.
Using one hand, remove as many pieces of chicken as will fit in the pan and place them
on top of the flour. Dredge each piece well and drop carefully into the oil. Do not
coat the chicken with flour until you're almost ready to drop it into the oil -- or
you'll get a soggy crust. Fry the chicken, turning once. Again, a tricky thing here --
I just know instinctively when it is done -- it's nice and brown and is almost buoyant in
the oil. I would say ten minutes each side would be a safe guesstimate. Place chicken
on a rack set over a baking sheet -- putting fried food on a paper towel or paper bag to
drain only steams the crust and makes it soggy. Dredge the next batch and make sure
the oil has come back up to temperature. Continue until all the chicken is cooked.
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* Exported from MasterCook *

e.'s Jambalaya

Recipe By :e in SF
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cajun

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation MethodSeasoning Mix:
2 whole bay leaves
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 garlic clove -- crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne (or to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
Saute:
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco (depending on how hot you want to -- (1 to 2)
make your Jambalaya)
4 boneless -- skinless chicken
breasts, cubed
1 lb. medium prawns -- shelled and deveined
4 Louisiana hot links -- sliced
3/4 c. tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups rice
3 1/4 cups chicken broth

Combine seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.Melt the butter in a 4 qt saucepan. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers. Stir well. Add the
seasoning mix and Tabasco. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly
until the onions are dark brown -- this will take about twenty minutes. Add the tomato sauce and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the rice and mix well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 12 minutes. Add the prawns, links and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer COVERED until rice is tender, about 15 - 20 minutes.

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Thanks Mar! I've never considered making it on my own. Just purchase. I am guessing she makes

her own Recaito? I love Puerto Rican food!!

 
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