Ropa Vieja

I’m lucky enough to have grown up eating authentic Cuban food made by my Abuela and mother. One of my absolute favorite dishes is Ropa Vieja, which is considered to be one of the national dishes of Cuba. I also think it is a dish that represents what Cuban cuisine is all about: bold flavors, versatility, and maximizing usage of ingredients. Ropa vieja is a dish made of shredded beef. However, the process of boiling the beef to make the meat tender enough to shred also produces a flavorful beef broth that can be used to make a soup. Therefore, this recipe is quite economical as you get two meals in one! There are several ways to make ropa vieja. I’m showing one method with this recipe, but I’ll show other ways of making ropa vieja in the future. I love ropa vieja because the meat is super tender and extremely flavorful, so have fun trying this recipe and enjoy!

Ropa Vieja Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 pounds of beef shank (can use flank or chuck steak)
• ¹/₃ red pepper, finely chopped
• ¼ red pepper, finely sliced
• 1-2 medium onion(s), chopped
• 2 ½ teaspoons of salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons of garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons of onion powder
• 1 tablespoons of cumin
• 1 packet of sazón con asafran or ½ tablespoon saffron
• 2 cups of beef stock (made using the beef shank; see written/video instructions for details)
• ½ cup of tomato sauce
• ¼ cup of cooking wine
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• About a ½ cup of vegetable or corn oil

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A large soup pot
• A large pot
• Forks, knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
• A food processor (optional)

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Take a large pot, fill halfway with water (about 10 to 12 cups) and place the beef shank in the pot (OPTIONAL: You can also add a sprinkle of salt and garlic powder, and one onion sliced if you want. However, don’t overseason as the broth will be used for the ropa vieja, and the seasoning quantities provided for the ingredients are for making the ropa vieja and not for seasoning the beef broth. It’s best to leave the beef broth as natural as possible so that you can use any leftover broth to make a soup or another recipe). Let the pot come to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, let boil for 7 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium, and let cook for 2 and 1/2 hours, or until the beef is fork tender (Note: the fork should easily poke through the meat).
2. Remove the beef from the pot to separate it from the broth. Then take the beef, separate the meat from the bones and cartilage, and shred the meat using 2 forks (See video demonstration for a visual). Reserve the broth for later use.
3. Collect the rest of your ingredients, finely chop the onions and two-thirds of the red pepper in a food processor or using a knife, and finely slice the remaining piece of red pepper into 1-inch pieces about an 8^th inch thick. In another pot, sauté the onions on high heat for a minute in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the red peppers and sauté until the onions are translucent. Next, add the shredded beef, mix with the onions and peppers, and sauté for 1 minute. Then add the cooking wine to deglaze the pan and mix
4. Next, reduce the heat to medium; add the beef stock, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, saffron, and cumin to the meat, and let cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fluid is almost gone and the sauce has thickened. Remove the meat from the pot, clean and thoroughly dry the pot, then add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the pot (the oil should be at least a ¼ inch deep).
5. Now heat the oil on high heat and use a piece of meat to check if the oil is hot enough. If you see bubbles, the oil is ready. Take spoonfuls of the meat and lay it across the bottom of the pot and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Next, reduce the heat to medium-high, turn over the meat, and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Then turn the meat over, stir the meat, spread it across the bottom of the pan again, and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Do this until the meat is well browned. Now add the lemon juice and mix it in to evenly distribute the juice on all of the meat. Then the meat is done and can be served (Note: you can serve the meat without frying and browning the meat, just add the lemon in at the end of the cooking process. Also, you can take the browning process as far as you like. I like to get a nice distribution of browned meat and unbrowned meat without overdoing it because you don’t want it to end up dry and burned!).

Café con Leche Cupcakes

Growing up in a household with a Cuban mother meant when asked if you want coffee it meant one of two things: espresso or café con leche. Suffice to say, I grew up drinking café con leche from a very young age and I still start and end every day with a cup of café con leche. Since the people in my family love coffee, espresso, and of course, café con leche–I figured I would create a dessert that mimics the flavor of café con leche. While the cupcakes are not warm, the taste does make you feel like you care drinking a delicious cup of café con leche! This recipe is also great because it combines three basic recipes into one. And in that sense, it shows how you can combined several basic recipes to make and create your own special recipes. These cupcakes are simple to make, very delicious, and a nice departure from a typical cupcake. So have fun trying this recipe and enjoy!

Café con Leche Cupcakes Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

 

For cupcakes (recipe instructions found here):

• 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour 
• 2 cups of sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
• 4 teaspoons of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¾ cups of milk
• ¾ cups of hot water
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

For espresso butter cream (recipe instructions found here):

• 1 cup of salted butter
• ½  cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup of shortening
• 1 cup of white granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons of heavy cream (or milk)
• 1 cup of espresso, cooled

For whipped cream (recipe instructions found here):

• 1 cup of heavy cream 
• 3 tablespoons of sugar

TOOLS NEEDED FOR ASSEMBLING CUPCAKES:

• A pastry bag
• A spatula

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS         

                                                                           

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. For this recipe you need to prepare 1 batch of vanilla cupcakes, 1 batch of espresso buttercream, and 1 batch of whipped cream. The cupcakes should be made and completely cooled down. The buttercream should be at room temperature and loosened up so that it can be put in a pastry bag. The whipped cream should be made and can be refrigerated. Once all three of those components are prepared, you can begin to assemble the café con leche cupcakes.
2. First, take the vanilla cupcakes and top with the espresso buttercream. Put the buttercream in a pastry bag. Then add a generous layer of buttercream about a ½ inch thick (See video demonstration for a visual). I use an open star size #8 tip for my pastry bag but you can use any tip you want. If you don’t have a pastry bag you can use a spatula, knife, or back of the spoon to spread the butter cream on the cupcakes or you can create a makeshift pasty bag by cutting a hole in the corner of a Ziploc bag to pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes. Repeat this process for the rest of the cupcakes
3. Next, fill another pastry bag or wash, dry and fill the same pastry bag with the whipped cream. Then add a ½ inch layer of whipped cream over the center of the cupcake, leaving a ½ inch or 1-inch uncovered so you can still see the espresso buttercream underneath. Repeat the process for the rest of the cupcakes, then serve. (Note: since these cupcakes do have whipped cream on top of them you will need to keep them refrigerated. I suggest adding the whipped cream to the cupcakes when you plan on serving them).

Multi-purpose Whipped Cream

While growing up, my mom would get cakes from a bakery that used whipped cream frosting instead of buttercream, and the cakes were light, low in sugar, and tasted absolutely amazing! There is nothing wrong with cakes that are covered with buttercream, especially homemade buttercream. However, whipped cream frosting adds a lightness and freshness to cakes that pairs perfectly with fresh fruit! I absolutely love strawberry shortcake! In fact, it has been my go to for making a birthday cake for myself, which is how I developed the perfect whipped cream to use for cakes. Regular whipped cream using whipping cream works perfectly fine if you are adding a dollop on top or on the side of a dessert or drink. However, you need something thicker to make multilayer cakes or to hold the shape when piping out of a pastry bag. My whipped cream recipe uses heavy cream as I found it works well for making a very creamy and thicker whipped cream that can be used for a variety of purposes. This multipurpose whipped cream recipe can be used for cakes (including cheesecakes), cake designs, as an accompaniment for desserts, or put on drinks (e.g. hot chocolate, coffee). So have fun trying the recipe and enjoy! 

Multi-purpose Whipped Cream Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of heavy cream 
• 3 tablespoons of sugar

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A handheld mixer or standard mixer
• A large mixing bowl
• A spatula and measuring utensils

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS         

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients and put the heavy cream in a large mixing bowl.
2. Whisk the heavy cream on high with a standard or handheld mixer for 1 to 2 minutes or until the heavy cream begins to ripple.
3. Now, add the sugar and mix for 30 seconds. Then shut off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater, and mix on high for another 30 seconds, or until the mixture forms stiff peaks (See video demonstration for a visual). The whipped cream will be ready to serve or use to decorate cupcakes/cakes or other desserts.

Important Recipe Notes:

·       You may need to mix the heavy cream for longer if you are using a handheld mixer, so use the consistency of the cream as an indicator for doneness.

·       This whipped cream will be thick enough to put in a pipping bag and decorate cakes, cupcakes or other desserts.

·       You can substitute heavy whipping cream or whipping cream instead of using heavy cream. However, the whipped cream will have a thinner and runnier texture. You can add in a tablespoon of pudding mixture or powdered gelatin to help stabilize the whipped cream. This will make the whipped cream usable for decorating large/ multilayer cakes.

Simple Vanilla Cake

As a person who does a lot of baking from simple cookies, to cakes and breads, and even intricate pastries, I think it’s important to have a go-to recipe for a vanilla cake and a chocolate cake. There are many recipes and cake combinations that can be done using a simple vanilla or chocolate cake recipe. In this case, I am going to focus on my vanilla cake recipe, which is quite spongy, moist, and light! The recipe is also very simple and works great for cupcakes and cakes. So consider giving the recipe a try and enjoy! 

Simple Vanilla Cake Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour 
• 2 cups of sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
• 4 teaspoons of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¾ cups of milk
• ¾ cups of hot water
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A handheld mixer or standard mixer
• A large mixing bowl
• 2 cupcake trays (or large cake pan)
• A spatula, whisk, measuring utensils, large spoon/ladle, and cupcake papers/liners
• A wire rack

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS         

                                                                           

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients and melt the butter.
2. Put all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk by hand to evenly distribute the ingredients and loosen the flour.  
3. Next, add the eggs, milk, hot water, and butter, in that order, to the dry ingredients. Then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl, and mix for another 3 minutes so that the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cupcake sheets with cupcake papers (or you can grease and flour a 9 by 13-inch pan or two 8-inch pans to make a cake). Fill the cupcake molds three-fourths of the way full. Then place the trays in the oven for 20 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean, with no wet cake batter.
5. Remove the trays from the oven and let cool for 2 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes from the trays and place on a wire rack to cool completely before adding frosting/icing or serving.