The Busy Gourmand

Ropa Vieja

I keep finding new things to try out at the meat counter at the local Mexican market. It is not that you cannot find any of these things in the regular market. I think it is the way they cut and display the meat that makes me stop and take a second look.

Flank steak is not normally something that I would buy, but when they are stacked eight high, separated by paper in between and pressed against the glass of the meat counter somehow they just screamed “buy me.” As with many of my purchases I decided I would figure out what to do with it later.

In this case it turned into ropa vieja, or translated as “old clothes.” This is typically attributed to Cuban populations although it is apparently popular all the way from the Canary Islands to Colombia. What you put in the mixture is heavily influenced by your locale. Many of the recipes called for diced tomatoes or tomato paste. I just was not feeling tomatoes in this dish so I left them out. I tried to really spice it up with two whole pickled jalapenos. The slow cooking process I think really washed away the heat. So maybe add some more jalapenos at the end. Although the picture shows the dish in a bowl it is normally served with tortillas. And as with any sort of meat tortilla dish I like mine with a squeeze of lemon and some sour cream. Buen provecho