Hispanic Heritage · Cuba

La Habana

La Habana Vieja · Centro Habana · Vedado · Plaza · Playa · Miramar

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Ropa vieja

Descubre

Explore Havana through ropa vieja, shredded beef simmered with tomato, peppers, onion, and warm spices. The city’s many kitchens offer variations of this familiar Cuban dish, often served with rice, beans, and sweet plantain.

La Gente

The cooking happens in two stages: first tenderize the beef, then let the shredded meat absorb the sofrito. Save the cooking liquid as directed for the sauce. That second simmer turns separate ingredients into the threads of a rich, spoonable stew.

Sabor

Havana cooks the classic Cuban key: sofrito of onion, green pepper, and garlic, cumin and oregano underneath, bay leaf, tomato, a splash of dry wine, sour orange where the pork is. Sweetness from the plantain.

Spice DNA · Herb medium · Sweet low · Smoke low · Heat none · Acid medium

Seasonings to explore

• Minced Garlic in Olive Oil. In the sofrito. Adds a savory garlic base.
• Cumin Ground. In the stew.
• Oregano Whole. In the stew.
• Bay Leaves Whole. In the boil and in the stew.
• Black Pepper Ground. In the boil.
• Onion Powder. With the fresh onion.
• Sazón Tropical. For the color.
• Adobo with Pepper. On the beef before the boil.

From your market: flank steak, a green and a red pepper, an onion, tomato sauce, dry white wine (vino seco from the Latin aisle), and for the plate, white rice, black beans, and ripe plantains. Badia does not sell the vino seco. Look for dry cooking wine or use a dry white wine.

Cocina

Ropa vieja

Flank steak boiled until it shreds, then stewed in sofrito.

Serves 6

• 2 lb flank steak
• 1 onion, halved, plus 1 more sliced
• 2 Badia Bay Leaves, whole
• 1 tsp Badia Adobo with Pepper
• ½ tsp Badia Black Pepper, ground
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper, sliced
• 2 tbsp Badia Minced Garlic in Olive Oil
• ½ tsp Badia Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Badia Cumin, ground
• 1 tsp Badia Oregano, whole
• 1 tsp Badia Sazón Tropical
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• ½ cup dry white wine (vino seco)
• 1 cup of the beef broth
• Salt

1. The boil. Cover the flank with water, add the halved onion, one bay leaf, the adobo, and the pepper. Simmer 1½ hours until a fork shreds it. Save the broth. Cool the meat and pull it into threads.
2. Sofrito. Warm the oil. Cook the sliced onion and peppers with the garlic and onion powder until soft. Add cumin, oregano, sazón, and the second bay leaf.
3. Stew. Add the tomato sauce, wine, and broth. Simmer 10 minutes. Add the shredded beef and simmer 20 minutes more, until the sauce is thick and the beef has taken the color. Salt.
4. Plate. White rice, black beans, ropa vieja over or beside, fried ripe plantains. Plantain adds a sweet contrast.
5. The broth from the boil is tomorrow's sopa. Chill leftover broth promptly and refrigerate.

Pueblos de La Habana

La Habana Vieja · Centro Habana · Vedado · Plaza · Playa · Miramar · Marianao · La Lisa · Regla · Guanabacoa · La Habana del Este · San Miguel del Padrón · Diez de Octubre · Cerro · Boyeros · Arroyo Naranjo · Cotorro

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