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There was another little place that served a dish called "ropa vieja", which was shredded beef flank steak cooked in a wine & tomato sauce, served with white rice and black beans "christanos y moros", and a side order of platanos fritos.
Damn! I'm ready to call the airlines and book a ticket to Miami.
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Ropa Vieja (old clothes) also requires some onions, bell peppers, garlic, cilantro, and tomato paste. It's best if done in a slow cooker until the meat falls apart, or shreds, like old clothes. Be sure to use dry, white cooking wine too, not just any old white wine.
As for the black beans, you can make a very Cuban-ish replica very quickly by using the canned Goya black bean soup (must be the
soup), available in most Krogers here in Texas, where real Cubans, Cuban restaurants, and Cuban cooking ingredients are like hen's teeth. Back to the black beans...heat some two tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a sauce pan until hot. Then add some minced garlic to taste and cook the garlic until it starts to tan. Pour in the beans and 1/4 can of water. Heat to a boil, then simmer. Stir occasionally. Some of the water will boil away so watch it to make sure you get the desired consistency. I like mine between watery and slightly thick. Pour over white rice. Freaken enjoy.
Two types of plantains you can cook. If you do the tostones, slice the peeled plantains into wheels (about 1" thick) while the plantain is green. Fry until slightly brown, remove from oil, smash, refry, add salt. For the platanos maduros or platanos fritos, wait until the plantain is black and ripe, slice diagonally, then fry until the outside has hints of black caramelization.
Brought to you by a resident authentic Cuban, CarlosC.