A Cuban night at home

I'm feeling pretty guilty right now, I haven't written a word all week, and worse yet I have barely cooked a thing. Since the sun made its appearance last week it's been impossible to stay inside. I've been sucked in by the outside world, one I have been avoiding all winter. From cafes to parks, even writing outside on my balcony (as I am doing right now) I can't get enough. I have been quite a busy bee and due to my constant activity I have been struck down with a cold, a sign that I need to sit down and give sometime to my blog.

After two wonderful restaurant dinners this week, yes I have been spoiled, I was craving something home cooked. I wasn't feeling well on Wednesday so I took it as the perfect opportunity to stay at home and mess up the kitchen a bit. Missing good Cuban food, I used to work at a Cuban restaurant and became accustomed to nightly Cuban dinners, I flipped through my recipe book. Mariscada, a seafood stew in tomato broth, is by far my favorite Cuban dish, I cook it at every one out of three dinner parties I have, but it wasn't what I was looking for this particular day. I needed some red meat to boast my energy and give me some protein, at first I had my mind set on Churrasco, steak, with mojo, a lime and garlic sauce, but then I saw it, my sister's favorite, Ropa Vieja. The dish, literally meaning "old clothes," consists of well-cooked, shredded beef, tomato sauce and sofrito, a typical Cuban concoction. It was just right, paired with rice and fried plantains, it was bound to hit the spot.

Unfortunately the idea came to me at 9pm, meaning I didn't actually start cooking until 10pm and considering Ropa Vieja has to cook for at least one hour and the preparation takes about half an hour, I didn't eat dinner until almost midnight. After preparing the sofrito and chopping endless amounts of green peppers and garlic, the dish came together, and I let it simmer as I fried plantains and steamed white rice. By the time it was done I really wasn't feeling well and was yearning for my bed, so I ate a small dish and kept the rest in the fridge. The best thing about Ropa Vieja is it tastes even better the next day, the cumin and peppers release their full flavors, resulting in a full bodied dish. I have taken advantage of this, and after eating leftovers last night, I may just be able to get another night out of it.

Cuban Ropa Vieja

Adapted from a recipe off the website www.atasteofcuba.com

Serves 6

2 1/2 lbs flank steak, cut in strips
5 tablespoons oil
2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic or 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
6 ounces sofrito

Sofrito

21 cherry tomatoes, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
8 to 10 garlic cloves, chopped
1 or 2 bay leaves
touch of ground cumin (I like to use a bit more)
touch of dried oregano
3/4 cup Sherry, or to taste
4 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste (optional)

For sofrito:

1. Sautee tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, bay leaves, cumin and oregano in oil slowly until all vegetables are limp. 2. Add Sherry and let simmer.

3. Add salt carefully, you may not need it at all.

For Ropa Vieja:

1.Heat 3 tbsp. oil in skillet on medium, brown meat on all sides and then remove from skillet.

2. Add remaining oil to skillet, stir in garlic, onion and green pepper and cook until translucent.

3. Stir in black pepper, browned meat, tomato sauce, water and sofrito.

4. Simmer until meat is tender and shreds easily, about 1-2 hours.

5. Serve on top of rice.