Since I've enjoyed the three meals we've had thus far at Soul de Cuba, I decided to try and make my own Cuban cuisine this weekend. It was also the Mrs' weekend to work so I normally do the cookin' on her work weekends. I've been a little under the weather so I didn't want to roast Lechon... how 'bout some low and slow braising... that's it, Ropa Vieja. First stop, the supermarket for flank steak. WTH! $9.99 a pound? I remember when Filet Mignon went for that much! Okay, that was a couple of years ago when cars ran only on gas... and carburators. The London Broil looked good but ropa vieja requires "strings" of meat. Okay, the tri-tip was $7.49 and on sale for $5.99... SOLD!
I used my trusty Fagor slow cooker/pressure cooker combo. Beef stock, bay leaves, garlic powder and black pepper. Pressure cook for 30 minutes followed by 3 hours of slow cooking then another 30 minutes of pressure cooking. Remove meat and shred with a fork, set aside. Then saute green and red peppers along with onions and garlic (this is weekday vittles so I tried to make it healthier with extra veggies). Add back the meat with 1 can of chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, dried cilantro and black pepper (and a little Goya adobo seasoning) and voila! The Gochiso Gourmet's Ropa Vieja!
I can't vouch for its originality because I'm not Cuban and when I did a web search for recipes, it seems that it's like getting a single beef stew recipe in the 50th. Just can't be done. Every recipe has their own minute variations with beef, tomato sauce or paste, green pepper and garlic being the only constants. Actually this is the closest I am to being Cuban...
But what about a starch? No plantanos in K-Town. Soul de Cuba serves their version with Arroz Blanco - white rice with black beans on the side. I like their dishes with Arroz Moro or black beans cooked with the rice so that's what I made. Of course, it's weekday vittles so I made it healthier with lots of black beans and 14 Grain rice from Marukai (I love this stuff though it's pricey, on sale for $11.99 for a 4 lb bag).
When I'm feelin' a little better, I'll attempt their Lechon Asado or pulled roasted pork over the same rice... or Rabo Encendido - oxtails braised low-n-slow in red wine... And I must have been under the weather, NO WINE was uncorked nor did any rum flow despite having Cubano food...
Comments