Eating Around the World (From Home....And Gluten Free...)

Welcome to Cuba! We took a pit stop on our way to Papua New Guinea because the Amazing Aunt and Unbeatable Uncle were visiting and we decided to do Cuba! Cuba has always been one of those countries that fascinates and scares me. I have grown up seeing pictures of colorful buildings, beautiful beaches, and old classic cars, but the politics and the economy of the country have scared me. One fascinating tid-bit I found out about Cuba is that it is one of two countries in the world where you cannot legally by Coca-Cola products. It is said that because Coca-Cola is a symbol of capitalism, and the country banned it because of this. According to Google, the population of Cuba is 11.21 million people and the capital is Havana. The national dish is...

Ropa Vieja!

Translated, it means "old clothes". The finished dish is shredded beef and some other ingredients, so I can see why they would call it this. It doesn't make for an appetizing name though...One of the ingredients had gluten, and in everything I read, it said not to skip it. I noted in the recipe where I adjusted my portion of the meal.) To go with ropa vieja, we made fried plantains and guayaba y gueso pastelitos (guava and cheese). This was an all-afternoon meal, but boy did my kitchen smell amazing! Here's what I did:

ROPA VIEJA

3 tbsp avocado oil

2 lbs flank steak

2 tsp taco seasoning

2 yellow onions, sliced
1 green bell pepper

2 more bell peppers, any color

4 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz sofrito (NOTE: this has gluten. I noted in the recipe where I adjusted the recipe to account for this)

8 oz tomato sauce
2 tsp Sazon seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
32 oz beef broth
10 Spanish green olives, sliced (stuffed with pimentos)
3 tbsp capers, drained
cilantro for garnish

Slice the onion thinly and cut the bell peppers into 1/4 inch wide strips.
Mince the garlic.
Season both sides of each flank steak with taco seasoning.
Cut each in half to fit in pot.
Heat the oil in large pot (I used my Dutch oven) over medium high heat.
Add the steaks to the pot and sear each side, working in batches, until browned, about 10 minutes.
Move the seared meat to a plate and lower heat to medium on pot.
Add the onions, half the bell peppers and garlic.
Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Add the sofrito, tomato sauce, Sazon, pepper and beef broth.

This is where I took a portion of the meat and onion mixture and put it in my own pot. I followed the rest of the recipe for my portion, with the exception of omitting the sofrito.

Stir and bring mixture to a boil.
Return the beef to pot and push under the vegetables.
Lower heat and simmer, covered for 45 minutes.
Stir in remaining bell peppers, olives, pimentos, and capers.
Cover pot and continue to simmer for 90 minutes. Meet should almost fall apart when you pick it up.
Carefully transfer meat to bowl and shred meat with two forks.
Bring the vegetables and sauce to a boil and add the meat, cook for another 10 minutes uncovered.
Serve over white rice with cilantro sprigs for garnish.

(Source: Ropa Vieja and Ropa Vieja)

FRIED PLANTAINS

4 plantains

Oil for frying

Salt and sugar, as topping

Use a sharp knife to trim the ends off of the plantains then cut a slit down the side of the plantain and peel off the skin.
Slice the peeled plantains diagonally into 1 inch thick pieces.
Add oil to a large pot to 1 ½ inches in depth, then heat oil on the stove over medium-high to about 350 degrees F.
Fry the plantains in small batches until golden brown, then remove from the oil with a metal slotted spoon or tongs and sprinkle with a little salt and sugar.
Allow the plantains to cool on a baking rack (do not use paper towels as the plantains will stick to them).
Serve warm and enjoy!

(Source: Fried Plantains)

GUAYABA Y QUESO PASTELITOS

1 box of gluten free puff pastry dough (2 sheets), thawed

1 package of guava paste (pasta de guayaba)

8 oz package of cream cheese

2 eggs

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C water

Put the puff pastry dough out on the counter about an hour before you start making these so it will thaw.
Make a simple syrup by combining ½ cup water with ½ cup sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, then remove from heat and set aside.
Pre-heat your oven to 400° F.
Lightly roll out one of the sheets of puff pastry dough. This helps to knock back the puffiness a little which is what we want.
Use a pizza cutter or small knife to cut the sheet into four even pieces.
In a small bowl beat the eggs, then brush all four edges of each square with egg wash.
Cut the guava paste and cream cheese into strips. Fair warning, guava paste is some of the stickiest stuff you will ever encounter. It helps to dust it with powdered sugar to make it easier to handle.
Place a piece of cream cheese and a piece of guava paste in the center of each square of pastry dough.
Fold the dough over to form a triangle. (in Cuban bakeries and coffee shops you can tell what is in the pastry by the shape. Guava and cheese is always a triangle).
Use a fork to crimp the edges and seal the dough.
Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash and use a fork to poke some vent holes in the top for the steam.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 400° F for 10 minutes, then pull the tray out and brush the tops of the pastry with the simple syrup. (This will give them that lovely caramel color and sweet crunch).
Bake for an additional 6-8 minutes until golden brown.

(Source: Guayaba y Queso Pastelitos)

The verdict? This was a very good meal. We loved it. The ropa vieja that I had was delicious, and I hear that the version with sofrito was excellent as well. I don't like green olives as a rule, but that mixed with the spices, capers, and meat was such a good combo. And the sauce it was in was perfect with the rice. Not to brag, but my Unbeatable Uncle said that the ropa vieja tasted as good as some when he worked in Puerto Rico! And Handsome Husband tried both versions, and said that the gluten free version wasn't significantly different without the sofrito. I still don't like plantains...but the others liked them! The guayaba y queso pastelito was fantastic. I found gluten free puff pastry at Safeway, which made life so much easier! If I were to make these again, and I would love to make them again, I would blend the cream cheese and guava paste together; by following the recipe, you get a bite with just cream cheese and a bite with just guava paste. I would like to add more filling in the future, and get the ratio to pastry right. Regardless, it was delicious!

Taste of Ropa Vieja (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Ropa Vieja (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 9

AMAZING AUNT

Taste of Ropa Vieja (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

UNBEATABLE UNCLE

Taste of Ropa Vieja (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 9

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 3

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

Taste of Fried Plantains (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 2