Ropa Vieja Josés Cuban Sloppy Joes With Smashed Yucca Sliced Tomatoes Plantain Chips And Mojo Sauce Recipes

ROPA VIEJA JOSES (CUBAN SLOPPY JOES), SLICED TOMATOES, PLANTAIN CHIPS AND MOJO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the mojo sauce: put the garlic and onion in a food processor with cumin, lemon zest and juice. Turn processor on and stream in about 1 cup of extra-virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup of water. Turn off processor and reserve.
• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown. Add half of the mojo and crumble the meat as it cooks, about 3 minutes. Add olives and pimientos, paprika, Worcestershire, hot pepper sauce, tomato sauce and grill seasoning. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook over low heat 10 minutes.
• Split Cuban rolls and pile the bottoms with hefty spoonfuls of Sloppy Ropa Vieja Jose mix. Cover meat with sliced dill pickles and bun tops. Serve the plantain chips and sliced tomatoes along side to finish your plates and drizzle tiny spoonfuls of raw mojo sauce over the chips when passing out the plates. Season the tomato slices with a pinch of salt as well.

SLOPPY JOSE WITH CHORIZO, CHARRED POBLANOS AND AVOCADO CREMA

Steps:

• For the avocado crema: Place the cilantro, sour cream, avocado, lime zest and juice in a food processor and run until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and reserve, covered with plastic wrap pressed directly on top to keep from browning.
• For the filling: Preheat a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over high heat, and then add in the oil. Add the poblano peppers, season with cumin, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Saute until the peppers are slightly soft and blistered, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the chorizo and cook over medium heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Cook the chorizo until well browned and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. If your chorizo has extra fat you can drain it on a paper-towel-lined plate to remove excess fat and then add the chorizo back to the pan along with the salsa. If your chorizo doesn't have that much fat, just add in your salsa and keep the party going. Simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• For the sandwich build: Slice, butter and toast each of the rolls until golden brown and crusty.
• Sprinkle some cheese on the bottom bun, and then a hefty spoonful of the hot chorizo. On top of the chorizo place some poblanos. Smear the top bun with lots of avocado crema and serve 'em up.

ROPA VIEJA (CUBAN BEEF)

Steps:

• Cut flank steak in half across the grain. Mix salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Season both sides generously with the salt mixture.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over high heat. Add steaks and cook until outsides are well browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove steaks to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add red onion, garlic, and more of the salt seasoning. Cook and stir until starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cloves, and allspice. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour in white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.
• Return beef and accumulated juices to the pot. Season with salt and add bay leaves. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beef is almost fork-tender, not falling apart, about 2 hours.
• Remove pot from heat and let stew cool to room temperature, at least 45 minutes. Refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight, for best results.
• Remove beef to a plate and set stew over medium heat. Tear beef along the grain into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-wide shreds; place back in the stew. Add bell peppers, poblanos, smoked paprika, capers, olives, and sugar. Stir together and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until peppers are soft and meat is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove bay leaves, and stir in cilantro.

CUBAN ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
• Transfer beef to a slow cooker. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar. Stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice.

ROPA VIEJA JOSéS (CUBAN SLOPPY JOES) WITH SMASHED YUCCA, SLICED TOMATOES, PLANTAIN CHIPS, AND MOJO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the peeled yucca in a small pot and cover with water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Salt the water and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. The yucca will not become as soft as a potato, just tender to the fork tines.
• While the yucca cooks, make the mojo sauce. Place the garlic and onions in a food processor with the cumin, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Turn the processor on and stream in the EVOO and 1/4 cup water.
• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the mojo. Heat for 15 seconds, then add the beef and begin to break it up. Brown and crumble the meat with the mojo for 3 minutes. Add the olives with pimientos, the paprika, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce, and grill seasoning. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
• Split the rolls and pile the bottoms with hefty spoonfuls of the meat mixture. Cover the meat with sliced dill pickles and the tops of the rolls.
• Drain the yucca and return it to the warm pot. Add half of the remaining mojo and mash. The yucca will break down a bit and become creamy and sticky but not smooth-like mashed potatoes with some soul. Season up the cooked yucca with salt and divide it among the dinner plates alongside the Sloppy Josés. Serve the plantain chips and sliced tomatoes alongside to finish your plates. Season the tomato slices with a pinch of salt and drizzle tiny spoonfuls of raw mojo sauce over the chips when passing out the plates.
• Yucca (you-kah) is yum-a! Cooked up, it tastes like a creamy, starchy cross between a turnip and a potato. You'll find it in the produce department near the root vegetables or in any Latin market. If your market does not carry yucca, cook up some peeled sweet potatoes and follow the method detailed above.