"Old Clothes" In The Slow Cooker

posted August 16, 2006
  by Pamela Chester, The Savvy Slow Cooker

There is a Caribbean recipe that my sister recently introduced me to -– Ropa Vieja -– an aromatic, seasoned shredded beef dish that is often served over rice with a side of beans, which has a very intriguing history. I immediately took a liking to this dish as much for its name as for its great flavor. It helps that my sister is an incredible cook, but this is a dish that can be simply prepared even by a novice chef.

Ropa Vieja, which means old clothes, is a reference to meat that frays on the ends as it cooks, just like the fabric of old clothes. The dish is reputed to have been brought to Cuba by Spanish sailors, although other countries such as Panama and the Dominican Republic also claim to have created the recipe and serve it as a traditional meal as well. It makes use of sofrito — a mixture of onion, garlic, and green pepper and sometimes spices that cooks in Cuba frequently sauté in advance and keep on hand for flavoring stews, soups, rice, and other dishes. This mixture adds color as well as depth of flavor.

In the Caribbean, cooks spend hours preparing meals for holidays, festivals, and special family occasions. The crockpot will allow you to prepare this dish well in advance, or the morning of the day you plan to eat it. Like many other dishes, Ropa Vieja is said to taste better the day after is it made, after the flavors have had a chance to develop and come together. Once it is finished, you can cool it, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days; the flavor will only improve upon standing. After cooking, the consistency should be thicker than soup, but it still will have a nice sauce that pairs well with rice.

The recipe below employs vinegar, garlic, onions, bell peppers and cumin, mixed together and placed over flank or skirt steak and slow cooked in the crockpot for hours. The vinegar makes it smell wonderful and gives it a tangy flavor. I like it served over white rice with black beans. It would also be great over another grain such as couscous, or served with boiled potatoes or fried plantains. Plantains are a staple across the Caribbean. They must be cooked to be edible; however, they do not need to be ripe. Green plantains and ripe plantains are often sliced, cooked in a seasoned batter or deep fried for fritters, and taste like a cross between a sweet potato and a banana. Leftovers of Ropa Vieja also make a tasty sandwich on a crusty roll, or you can serve the meat with flour tortillas too.

To go along with your Ropa Vieja, you can make the popular Cuban drink, the mojito. The mojito is one of the most refreshing drinks on a hot summer day. It originated in Cuba and is made with rum, mixed with mint, lime juice and a splash of seltzer water. The mojito used to be one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite drinks and has now made a splash throughout the United States. It is important to muddle the mint together with the lime juice and sugar, so the sugar dissolves. Making a good mojito is the mark of a truly great bartender, and it will make the perfect match to Ropa Vieja in the slow cooker!

Ropa Vieja Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 6
Ready in: > 5 hrs

* 1 large onion, sliced into rings
* 1 large green bell pepper, seeded & thinly sliced
* 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
* 2 bay leaves
* 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin (more to taste)
* 1 can (32 ounce size) crushed tomatoes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
* 2 dashes hot pepper sauce, or to taste
* 2 pounds of skirt or flank steak
* 1 cup reduced sodium vegetable or beef broth
* 3 bay leaves
* 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
* 1/3 cup green olives for garnish (optional)

Combine the onion, bell pepper, garlic, vinegar, worcestershire, bay leaves, cumin, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper and hot sauce in a bowl. Toss to coat well.

Transfer half of the mixture into the bottom of a crock pot. Place the steak on top; spoon the remaining mixture over the steak. Pour the broth around the steak. Tuck in the bay leaves.

Cover and cook until the steak is fork-tender: 5-6 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board and allow to cool. Remove & discard the bay leaves. Shred the steak into small pieces and return it to the crockpot. Garnish with cilantro and green olives, if desired.

Mojito Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 1
Ready in: < 30 minutes

* 3 fresh Mint sprigs
* 2 teaspoons Sugar
* 3 tablespoons Lemon juice (or lime), fresh
* 1 1/2 ounce Light rum
* Club soda, Chilled

In a tall thin glass, crush part of the mint with a fork to coat the inside. Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir thoroughly. Top with ice. Add rum and mix. Top off with the club soda (or seltzer). Add a lemon slice and the remaining mint.

©2008 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction of this article may be made without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.



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