Bongos Ropa Vieja Recipes

ROPA VIEJA

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)

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.

ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, put in the meat, 2 chopped onions, carrot, celery and bay leaf. Cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• When meat is very tender, turn off heat and let meat cool in liquid for 20 min, remove from broth. Set aside. Discard vegetables and strain broth through a sieve. Return broth to heat, and boil to reduce by half, about 20 to 30 minutes. When meat is cool, cut off any fat and pull into shreds about 2 inches wide.
• While broth is reducing, heat oil in a large skillet. Over medium heat, cook the remaining half of onions, the garlic, jalapenos, green peppers and 1 tablespoon salt until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon of salt.
• Stir in 3 cups reduced broth and tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir in shredded meat, parsley, oregano, and cumin. Cook 10 minutes more.
• Serve with white rice.

EARNEST HEMINGWAY'S OLD SHIRT (ROPA VIEJA)

Steps:

• Salt and pepper the meat and lightly dust with flour (Do not cut off fat!).
• Brown the meat in olive oil in a large cast iron braiser. Add enough water to surround the meat, but don't cover it. Add green pepper, 1/2 of the chopped onions and the garlic. Simmer, covered, until meat is fork tender, about 2 hours. Add more water sparingly to avoid burning and flip meat over at the halfway mark.
• Remove from heat and cool. Shred the meat and remove the fat.
• Discard the veggies and sauce. Slightly clean the braiser then add back to the stove top add olive oil.
• Saute the roasted garlic and the remaining chopped onion until transparent. Add chopped red pepper. Add crushed tomatoes, cumin, 1/2 of the red wine and bay leaf. Incorporate salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add other half of the red wine and cook for 14 minutes more.
• Remove bay leaf and serve with white rice or stuff in Plantain Cups.
• Fill large bowl with warm salted water to cover the plantains. Peel green plantain and cut into 2 inch pieces. Put the cut plantains into the water and soak.
• Heat oil to 375 degrees F.
• Remove plantains from water, shake off excess water and fry the plantain pieces for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the plantains and let cool for a couple of minutes.
• Using the Rivera Tostonera designed to make cups put fried plantains lengthwise into mold. If you don't have a Tostonera maker take 2 mini muffin pans and put fried plantains in the mold of 1 pan lengthwise and with the other muffin pan press down firmly to form a cup.
• Carefully remove the cup and re-fry the plantain cup in the hot oil until golden brown.
• Remove the cups and drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
• Serve warm.

ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• In hot oil quickly saute the pork and then the beef, making sure to caramelize well. Add the julienned caramelized onions, the diced vegetables, the chilies, garlic puree and cook a minute or two. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil then simmer for a few minutes. Add the black beans and finish with the red wine vinegar and chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. Serve and garnish with salsa.

BONGO BONGO SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat broiler unit of oven.
• Puree oysters and their juice, and spinach in a blender.
• Heat milk in a large saucepan and add puree, butter and A-1 sauce.
• Bring to simmering point. DO NOT BOIL!
• Mix cornstarch with water and add to soup to thicken.
• Season with salt, pepper, worcestershire and tabasco.
• Ladle into 4 oven-proof bowls and garnish each with whipped cream.
• Put bowls under broiler until cream is browned.
• Serve.