"Old Clothes" In The Slow Cooker

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

There is a Caribbean recipe that my sister recently introduced me to -– Ropa Vieja -– an aromatic, seasoned shredded beef dish that is often served over rice with a side of beans, which has a very intriguing history. I immediately took a liking to this dish as much for its name as for its great flavor. It helps that my sister is an incredible cook, but this is a dish that can be simply prepared even by a novice chef.

Ropa Vieja, which means old clothes, is a reference to meat that frays on the ends as it cooks, just like the fabric of old clothes. The dish is reputed to have been brought to Cuba by Spanish sailors, although other countries such as Panama and the Dominican Republic also claim to have created the recipe and serve it as a traditional meal as well. It makes use of sofrito — a mixture of onion, garlic, and green pepper and sometimes spices that cooks in Cuba frequently sauté in advance and keep on hand for flavoring stews, soups, rice, and other dishes. This mixture adds color as well as depth of flavor.

In the Caribbean, cooks spend hours preparing meals for holidays, festivals, and special family occasions. The crockpot will allow you to prepare this dish well in advance, or the morning of the day you plan to eat it. Like many other dishes, Ropa Vieja is said to taste better the day after is it made, after the flavors have had a chance to develop and come together. Once it is finished, you can cool it, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days; the flavor will only improve upon standing. After cooking, the consistency should be thicker than soup, but it still will have a nice sauce that pairs well with rice.

The recipe below employs vinegar, garlic, onions, bell peppers and cumin, mixed together and placed over flank or skirt steak and slow cooked in the crockpot for hours. The vinegar makes it smell wonderful and gives it a tangy flavor. I like it served over white rice with black beans. It would also be great over another grain such as couscous, or served with boiled potatoes or fried plantains. Plantains are a staple across the Caribbean. They must be cooked to be edible; however, they do not need to be ripe. Green plantains and ripe plantains are often sliced, cooked in a seasoned batter or deep fried for fritters, and taste like a cross between a sweet potato and a banana. Leftovers of Ropa Vieja also make a tasty sandwich on a crusty roll, or you can serve the meat with flour tortillas too.

To go along with your Ropa Vieja, you can make the popular Cuban drink, the mojito. The mojito is one of the most refreshing drinks on a hot summer day. It originated in Cuba and is made with rum, mixed with mint, lime juice and a splash of seltzer water. The mojito used to be one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite drinks and has now made a splash throughout the United States. It is important to muddle the mint together with the lime juice and sugar, so the sugar dissolves. Making a good mojito is the mark of a truly great bartender, and it will make the perfect match to Ropa Vieja in the slow cooker!

Serves/Makes: 1

• 3 fresh mint sprigs
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 ounce light rum
• club soda, chilled
• 1 slice lime
• additional fresh mint

Serves/Makes: 6

• 1 large onion, sliced into rings
• 1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin, or to taste
• 1 can (32 ounce size) crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 dashes hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 2 pounds skirt or flank steak
• 1 cup reduced sodium vegetable or beef broth
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup green olives for garnish (optional)