**¡Hola, amigos!** Are you ready to embark on a culinary journey to the vibrant streets of Venezuela? Today, we bring you two traditional Venezuelan recipes that are sure to tantalize your taste buds: **Ropa Vieja** and **Arepas**.
**Ropa Vieja**, meaning "old clothes" in Spanish, is a flavorful shredded beef stew that embodies the spirit of Venezuelan cuisine. This hearty dish is a symphony of tender beef, vibrant vegetables, and a rich tomato-based sauce, all simmered to perfection. It's a dish that reflects Venezuela's history and heritage, with roots tracing back to the Spanish colonial era.
**Arepas**, on the other hand, are delightful cornmeal cakes that serve as the perfect accompaniment to Ropa Vieja. Made with simple ingredients like precooked cornmeal, water, and salt, these versatile cakes can be grilled, fried, or baked, resulting in a crispy exterior and a soft, fluffy interior. Whether you choose to fill them with savory fillings or simply slather them with butter, Arepas are a staple in Venezuelan cuisine.
So, gather your ingredients, put on your apron, and let's embark on this culinary adventure together. Follow our step-by-step recipes to create a feast that will transport you to the heart of Venezuela. ¡Buen provecho!
AUTHENTIC CUBAN ROPA VIEJA (SHREDDED BEEF RECIPE)
Learn how to make the best authentic ropa vieja with this classic Cuban recipe! This slow-cooked shredded beef dish is made with tenderized flank steak, sofrito, and spices, all simmered in a flavorful tomato-based sauce. This recipe requires only 25 minutes of hands-on work once the meat is tenderized.
Provided by Jamie Silva
Categories Dinner Main Course Main Dish
Time 2h35m
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a Dutch oven, add the meat with water and salt. Cook at medium-low until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. (In a pressure cooker, this takes about 40 minutes). Transfer to a plate. Shred meat and set aside.
- In a skillet, heat olive oil at medium heat. Add green pepper, onion, and pimientos. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add dry cooking wine, tomato sauce, ground cumin, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the shredded meat to the skillet and stir to combine with the sauce. Cover and cook on low for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, without letting it dry out. Remove bay leaf and serve over white rice and sweet plantains. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 serving, Calories 419 kcal, Carbohydrate 5.2 g, Protein 43 g, Fat 23.9 g, SaturatedFat 6.8 g, Cholesterol 83 mg, Sodium 583 mg, Fiber 1.4 g, Sugar 2.5 g
ROPA VIEJA
Provided by Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 4h
Yield 8 to 10 servings
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- In a large pot, put the flank steak, garlic, yellow onions, 1 tablespoon of the oregano, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves and 2 ounces each of the red wine and Worcestershire. Add water to cover the ingredients by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, cut back to a simmer and cook for 3 hours, until the flank steak is falling apart.
- Remove the flank steak from the pot, cut into 3-inch sections and set aside. Strain the beef broth and reserve for a later step.
- Wipe out the pot and coat with the olive oil. Add the red onions, white onions, green peppers, red peppers and the remaining tablespoon oregano. Cook over high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes.
- Add the flank steak back to the pot, along with the tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, reserved beef broth and the remaining red wine and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil, cut back to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add the olives, peas and tomatoes to the pot. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving over coconut rice or white rice.
ROPA VIEJA
Steps:
- Add the olive oil to a large, heavy pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons salt, broken bay leaves, crushed red pepper flakes and halved jalapeno and stir. Add the quartered onions, chopped carrot, parsley, and mashed garlic cloves and stir again. Place the brisket in the pot, season with salt and pepper and add enough water to cover by 2-inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat so that the liquid just simmers, and cook the brisket until the meat is tender enough to shred, 2 to 3 hours. Remove the meat from the cooking liquid and set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain the cooking broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard solids. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the broth for the ropa vieja and use the remaining broth for another purpose.
- When the meat has cooled, shred it into 3 to 4-inch strands. Set aside.
- Combine the minced garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a mortar and pestle and work into a smooth paste. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the sliced onion. Saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic paste and bay leaf and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, reserved beef broth, wine, and vinegar and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the shredded beef and roasted green pepper strips, stir to combine, and cook, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the meat is fork tender and falling apart, coated with a thick sauce, and the flavors have come together. If the sauce gets too thick, add a bit more of the reserved beef broth. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Remove the bay leaf and serve, garnished with the pimiento slices, lime juice and cilantro, if desired.
ROPA VIEJA
The way tender flank steak shreds into thin pieces gives this dish the name that translates literally to "old clothes." My abuela would first cook the meat in her stovetop pressure cooker, shred it and then simmer it with the tomato, onion and bell pepper sauce. In my take on this Cuban classic, I like to braise the meat right in the sauce, so all the juices marry together giving it even more depth. Some versions of ropa vieja skip the olives, capers or pimientos, but I love their salty contrast.
Provided by Gabriela Rodiles
Categories main-dish
Time 2h
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
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.
ULTIMATE ROPA VIEJA
This favorite Cuban dish is positively PACKED with flavor!
Provided by Kimberly Killebrew
Categories Entree Main Course
Time 4h45m
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- Pat the beef dry and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat a little oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Once very hot add the beef and brown generously on all sides. Transfer the beef to a plate. (Do not discard the drippings and blackened bits in the pot, they are key to the flavor.)
- Add the sliced vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until caramelized. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute. Add the white wine and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pan (scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan).
- Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Return the roast to the pot along with the pieces of carrots and celery. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours or until the beef is fork tender and falls apart easily. Discard the celery, carrots and bay leaves.
- Transfer the beef to a plate and shred it. Return the shredded beef to the pot.
- Stir in the olives, roasted red peppers, capers and pimientos. Simmer uncovered to thicken the sauce for 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 306 kcal, Carbohydrate 15 g, Protein 25 g, Fat 16 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, Cholesterol 78 mg, Sodium 1509 mg, Fiber 4 g, Sugar 7 g, ServingSize 1 serving
ROPA VIEJA
Flank steak braised with vegetables and aromatics until it shreds into strands is the national dish of Cuba, though the cooking process is popular throughout Central America and the Caribbean. In Cuba, it's called ropa vieja, which translates to old clothes, a reference to the beef's tattered appearance. In Venezuela and Colombia, you'd call it carne desmechada. This version starts with a sautéed base of peppers and onions, which is further enhanced with olives, capers, raisins and tomatoes. The flavorful mixture works equally well with flank steak, pork butt or even chicken thighs. Serve it with cooked black beans and rice.
Provided by J. Kenji López-Alt
Categories dinner, meat, one pot, main course
Time 3h
Yield 6 cups (4 servings)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Season beef or pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high until lightly smoking. Working in batches as needed, cook the meat in a single layer, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch, reducing heat as necessary if the oil smokes excessively.
- Add braised peppers and onions, tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers and chicken stock. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, cover with the lid slightly cracked, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any crust that has formed at the edges of the pan back into the liquid, until meat is completely tender and shreds easily with two forks, about 2 1/2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Shred meat with two forks, and serve immediately with white rice, black beans and hearty greens. Ropa vieja can also be shredded, allowed to cool, and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will improve in texture and flavor with time.
EASY ROPA VIEJA STEW
Use your slow cooker for this meaty Cuban classic, which offers bold flavors without a lot of hands-on time. -Denise Nyland, Panama City, Florida
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 6h25m
Yield 8 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- In a large skillet, brown beef in oil on all sides. Transfer meat to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add onions and peppers. Combine tomatoes, water, garlic, cilantro, beef bouillon, pepper, cumin and oregano; pour over vegetables., Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove beef; cool slightly. Skim fat from cooking juices; stir in olives. Shred beef with two forks and return to slow cooker; heat through. Serve with rice if desired. Freeze option: Transfer individual portions of stew to freezer containers and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 306 calories, Fat 16g fat (5g saturated fat), Cholesterol 74mg cholesterol, Sodium 821mg sodium, Carbohydrate 16g carbohydrate (8g sugars, Fiber 4g fiber), Protein 25g protein.
CUBAN ROPA VIEJA
This is great shredded beef served on tortillas or over rice. Add sour cream, cheese, and fresh cilantro on the side.
Provided by Kate Phillips Masterson
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Caribbean
Time 4h15m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
- Transfer beef to a slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 260.5 calories, Carbohydrate 9.9 g, Cholesterol 47.6 mg, Fat 15.8 g, Fiber 2.3 g, Protein 20.5 g, SaturatedFat 5.3 g, Sodium 599.2 mg, Sugar 5.9 g
Tips:
- For the best results, use skirt steak or flank steak. These cuts are flavorful and tender when cooked correctly.
- Be sure to marinate the steak for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This will help to tenderize the meat and infuse it with flavor.
- When cooking the steak, be careful not to overcook it. Overcooked steak will be tough and chewy.
- If you are using a slow cooker, cook the steak on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
- Serve ropa vieja with your favorite sides, such as rice, beans, and plantains.
Conclusion:
Ropa vieja is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed as a main course or as a filling for tacos or empanadas. It is a great way to use up leftover steak, and it is also a budget-friendly meal. Whether you are a seasoned cook or a beginner, ropa vieja is a dish that you are sure to love.
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