beef cheek ropa vieja over crispy fried tostones
There are few dishes that evoke the warm feelings of hearth and home quite like ropa vieja. No other meal is so singularly entwined with Cuban culture and cuisine than this ebullient stew. Cuba’s legislature officially declared arroz con pollo (chicken + yellow rice) the national dish of Cuba in 1930, but if you ask people from all walks of life what Cuba’s national dish is, you’ll get a very different answer. The one you’ll get most often is ropa vieja, which whimsically translates to “old clothes” since its shredded beef resembles old, tattered clothes. This hearty beef and vegetable stew, in which the meat has been twice cooked, is a staple in just about every Cuban home and restaurant throughout South Florida and the Caribbean. Heaven knows that I’ve probably wolfed down 50 cows worth of ropa vieja in my life, and I intend to devour another 50 before I check out of this realm!
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