Ropa Vieja: A Jewban Family Tradition

RopaVieja

I am often asked whether I feel more Cuban-American than Jewish, or vice versa, and it has always struck me as an odd question. That’s like asking whether I like my right eye better than my left. Sure, if you close one eye, you can still see, but the world looks so much better with both eyes open. That is sort of how I feel about my two cultures. On the surface, it may seem like my Cuban culture is in direct conflict with my Jewish one, particularly when it comes to the pork-friendly nature of Cuban cuisine and the dietary laws of the Jewish faith, but just like seeing the world with both eyes open, I feel most comfortable when my cultures work in conjunction with each other.

As featured on My Jewish Learning and Be’chol Lashon.

Fortunately, there is plenty of common ground between the two. Given the fact that both place a high priority on family and tradition, and get-togethers almost always revolve around food, my family has been blurring the cultural dividing lines for decades. This melting pot approach jumps into high gear around the holidays and other family gatherings. My “Jewban” family has been known to serve a creamy flan during Shavuot, a citrus and garlic-infused Cuban-style chicken for Shabbat, and minty Mojito-scented quinoa during Passover. These incredible dishes aside, nothing holds a candle to my family’s recipe for Ropa Vieja, Cuban comfort food at its very best.

Ropa Vieja, which literally translates to “old clothes,” or as my paternal grandmother would call them, “shmatas,” is the Cuban answer to a traditional Jewish brisket. Both use inexpensive cuts of meat that are slow-roasted until tender and falling apart, but Ropa Vieja takes it a step further, and actually calls for the chunks of meat to be shredded to resemble rags. This may seem like it would diminish the allure of the dish, but as Jewish brisket is usually reserved for the holiday table, a good Ropa Vieja is truly cause for celebration. Additionally, as it is important in the Jewish culture to pass our traditions from generation to generation, most Cuban families have had a recipe for Ropa Vieja for ages.

The recipe I feature originated with my Abuela (maternal grandmother), but was passed to me by my Tia Pipa (Aunt Felipa), both seriously tough culinary acts to follow. And while I have the added benefit of modern kitchen electrics like the slow-cooker, the spirit of the recipe remains the same. The perfume of a traditionally Cuban sofrito, made from garlic, onions, and sweet bell peppers, marries beautifully with the warm smokiness from the cumin. And while the brine-y capers that adorn the meat and add a splash of color may seem like a distinctly Mediterranean choice, they act as a nod to the migration of Spaniards that made their way to Cuba and the other Caribbean islands in days of old.

One bite may make you want to close your eyes and savor the moment, but I challenge you to resist the urge. See the world with both eyes open, and celebrate the diversity that makes Cuban-Jewish families unique.

Ropa Vieja
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Cuban
Serves: 6-8
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
The ultimate in Cuban comfort food.
Ingredients
  • 5-7 lbs. Brisket, trimmed of most visible fat
  • 2 onions, divided
  • 6 cloves of garlic, divided
  • 2 large red bell peppers, divided
  • 2 bay leaves, divided
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 3 tsp. Olive oil
  • 1 Tbs dried oregano
  • 1 Tbs ground cumin
  • 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • 10 stuffed green olives, sliced in thin rounds
  • 2 Tbs capers, plus 1 Tbs. of the brine.
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Cut your brisket into 2-inch wide strips.
  2. The night before you want to serve, add the brisket, 1 onion, roughly chopped, 2 whole cloves of garlic, ½ a bell pepper, 1 bay leaf, and beef stock to a slow-cooker, and set to cook on low for 6-7 hours.
  3. Remove the beef and set aside. Once the beef is cool enough to be handled, use 2 forks to shred the beef.
  4. Strain the cooking liquid, and reserve for later use in a medium bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate long enough for the fat to solidify on top (about 20-30 minutes). Skim the fat from the liquid.
  5. Discard the rest of the contents from the slow cooker.
  6. Meanwhile, finely dice the remainder of the onions and half of the remaining bell pepper. The rest of the bell pepper should be sliced in short, thin slices.
  7. Mince the remaining garlic.
  8. Heat a large pot (dutch oven style) over medium-high heat. Add olive oil.
  9. Add the diced onions and both diced and sliced bell peppers, and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until onions become translucent. Add the garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes.
  10. Add the shredded beef to the pot, as well as ½ of the now-skimmed stock, the oregano, the cumin, the diced tomatoes, and the tomato sauce. Stir to combine.
  11. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until liquid reduces and thickens a bit.
  12. Add the olives, brine, and capers, and cook for 15 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  13. Leave simmering on low on the stove until ready to serve.
  14. Serve with white rice.

 

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Onion Noodles: One of life’s simple pleasures.

Onion NoodlesLately, I’ve noticed that during times of great pressure and stress, my natural inclination is to arm myself with some of life’s simple pleasures. I take more naps, I spend more time outside partaking in a range of activities, and I unapologetically partake in comfort foods. To me, comfort foods are those dishes that bring an element of nostalgia, and remind me of more carefree times. Maybe it is my Abuela’s creamy arroz con leche, or a piece of fresh baked toast smeared with smashed avocado. For Kenny, it’s usually meat and potatoes (surprise, surprise), or a similarly basic starch. In both cases, the best comfort foods are almost always very simple, simple, simple.

There’s no rule that says good food must be complex. Take onion noodles, for example. There are only 5 ingredients in my mother-in-law’s recipe, yet it is one of my husband’s all-time favorite dishes. In addition to the famous chocolate cake, it’s the only other dish he requests every year for his birthday celebration, without fail. What’s so good about onions and noodles? More like, what’s bad about onions and noodles?

Sliced Onions
Lots of sliced onions, ready for the saute pan.

Imagine if someone shook an onion bagel over your dish of buttered noodles, and crisped the edges like the best part of a kugel. Then you can sort of grasp the intended flavor and texture of this dish. But the brilliance is really in its simplicity. That being said, my husband never fails to inform me that my onion noodles don’t look the same as when his mom makes them.

After a little trial and error, I think I’ve figured out why my version turns out more golden brown than Kenny is used to. To put it bluntly, making this dish the best that it can be requires a certain degree of patience. And well… patience has never been a virtue of mine. While I certainly take the time to really slowly caramelize the onions until they are a soft brown, by the time I add the noodles, the inviting aroma takes over, and my patience for letting the noodles sit and crisp wanes.  There in lies the difference. Bette Jo let’s her noodles sit and crisp in the pan before she stirs them ever so gently, whereas I am less patient, stirring a bit more frequently, and the brown from the caramelized onions disperses throughout the noodles, tinting them a brownish hue. That, and like a good little Cuban-American, I add a little garlic to the recipe.

Either way, the two versions more or less taste the same, but between you and me… those crunchy bits that Bette Jo achieves by being patient? They are without a doubt worth the wait. As an extra tip, I advise that you serve these alongside something saucy, so the noodles can serve as a vehicle for heightened flavor. And make extra. Trust me on this one.

** It’s just been brought to my attention that this recipe was introduced to Bette Jo by her sister, Myndel. Looks like we’re not the only one who think this is comfort food!

Onion Noodles
 
Author:
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Jewish
Serves: 4-6
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Old-world comfort food, whose crispy edges will have your guests begging for more.
Ingredients
  • ½ stick of butter or margarine
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced (*Optional)
  • Poppy seeds
  • Seasoned salt
  • 1 8oz package of wide egg noodles, cooked al dente
Instructions
  1. In a large frying pan, heat the butter (or margarine) over medium heat. Add the onions, and saute until light brown. Add the garlic, poppy seeds and season salt. Stir to combine.
  2. Once the onions are golden brown, add the noodles, stir to combine, and let sit until the bottom side of the noodles crisp. Stir, and let the other side get some color. Once desired color and crispness is reached, serve immediately.
Notes
The garlic is definitely optional, but I think it adds an extra layer of flavor.

 

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