On Wednesday, leaving a meeting at my third job, I ran into my friend Milho, another writer. We decided to have a coffee, which turned into lunch, and today I'll tell you more about the place. It's a restaurant in Havana's Vedado district with a design I'd only ever seen on Instagram: tables stacked on top of each other, using the space in a spectacular way. However, I couldn't stop thinking about the poor waiters, who literally have to juggle to serve the high tables.
First, we had a couple of espressos because, being Cuban after all, we like our coffee black and without any frills. Then, seeing our conversation was stretching on, we decided to have lunch. We both ordered the same thing: a plate of Ropa Vieja, a traditional Cuban dish. Ropa Vieja, clearly, isn't made from clothes, but with beef. The recipe is actually very simple, in case you want to make it at home.
A Brief Recipe for a Traditional Cuban Dish
In a pot, which can be a pressure cooker, put beef (especially skirt steak), water, onion, green bell pepper (not spicy), garlic cloves, a bay leaf, and salt. Cook until the meat is so tender it falls apart with a fork. Remove the meat and let it rest, but save half a cup of the broth. Shred the meat with two forks until it's in small strips; this is the key step because if you don't, it wouldn't be Ropa Vieja anymore.
Then you need to make a sofrito with oil (it can be olive oil, although in Cuba it's so expensive we use sunflower oil and that's that), onion and bell peppers in strips (again: not spicy), chopped garlic, tomato sauce or paste, or crushed tomatoes. Season with cumin, oregano, and another bay leaf. If the cook is from the Eastern part of Cuba, instead of cumin they will use black pepper, sweet pepper or bomba pepper or whatever non-spicy pepper is called in your region, and cilantro. Yes, in Cuba, the west and the east have different flavors. Finally, add white wine.
When the sofrito smells delicious and the ingredients are cooked, add the meat and let it soak up the flavors. Finally, add the reserved broth and let it cook for another 20 minutes, so the meat absorbs all the flavor. Some people add other things like olives, vinegar, parsley, a pinch of spicy pepper… that depends on individual taste.
Ropa Vieja goes great with white rice and also with a side of fried plantains, either the ripe ones (maduros), which have a soft texture and sweet flavor, or the green ones (verdes), which turn out salty and crispy. In the case of green plantains, they can be like chips (the plantain sliced into very thin little slices) or like tostones or chatinos.
Back to Lunch with Milho
This time, the dish was delicious. It was very filling, and I eat a lot. So much so that I took some home, and it was the main plate for my evening meal.
Since Milho and I are writers and move in the same circles, we talked a lot about literature but, above all, about the Cuban literary scene. We discussed the reality of geographical fatalism (my experiences being from Santiago, 900 km from the capital, are nothing like his). There were several bits of gossip, and there will be two or three people whose ears are still burning and who are sneezing from being talked about so much, not necessarily for something good. In the end, we discussed several projects so, as the young reggaeton artists would say, "things are coming."
On the way back, since Milho and I live along the same way, we kept talking about other topics. About the city, about architecture, about the idiosyncrasies of the different neighborhoods. It was an unexpected, spontaneous, and interesting lunch that I hope will be repeated. After all, I'm new in the city and public transport is getting worse every day, so opportunities to socialize with colleagues and friends are scarce.
Breve receta de un plato tradicional cubano
Luego debes preparar un sofrito con aceite (puede ser de oliva aunque en Cuba es tan caro que usamos el de girasol y listo), cebolla y pimientos en tiras (de nuevo: no picantes), ajo picado, salsa o pasta de tomate, o tomates triturados. Sazonar con comino, orégano y otra hoja de laurel. Si el cocinero es de la zona Oriental de Cuba, en vez de comino usará pimienta negra, dulce o bomba o como se llame en tu región a la pimienta que no es picante, y cilantro. Sí, en Cuba el occidente y el oriente tienen distinto sabor. Al final agregar vino blanco.
Cuando ya el sofrito huela delicioso y los ingredientes estén cocidos, echarle la carne y dejarla impregnarse. Al final, se le echa el caldo que se conservó y se le deja cocinar 20 minuticos más, para que la carne absorba todo el sabor. Hay quien le echa otras cosas como aceitunas, vinagre, perejil, una pizca de pimienta picante… eso depende del gusto de cada cual.
La Ropa Vieja queda genial con arroz blanco y también con una guarnición de plátanos fritos, ya sea los maduros, de textura suave y sabor dulce, o los verdes, que quedan salados y crujientes. En el caso de los verdes, pueden ser como chicharritas (el plátano picado en lasquitas muy finas) o como tostones o chatinos.
Volvemos al almuerzo con Milho
En esta ocasión, el plato estaba delicioso. Llenaba muchísimo, y eso que yo como cantidad. Tanto que llevé un poco para la casa, y fue el plato fuerte de la comida de la tarde.
Como Milho y yo somos escritores y nos movemos por los mismos círculos, hablamos bastante de literatura pero, sobre todo, del mundillo literario cubano. Discutimos la realidad del fatalismo geográfico (mis experiencias siendo santiaguera, a 900 Km de la capital, no se parecen en nada a las suyas). Chismes hubo varios, y habrá dos o tres a los que todavía les piquen las orejas y estén estornudando de tanto ser mentados, no necesariamente por algo bueno. Al final, discutimos varios proyectos así que, como dirían los reguetoneros jóvenes, “se vienen cositas”.
