Joel wants me to point out it's best with a side of COLD BEER...
Today's Special:
Ropa Vieja - Cuban Shredded Beef
Ropa vieja, which is Spanish for "Old Clothes," is a popular dish of the Canary Islands, Cadiz, Greater Miami and the Caribbean, especially Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. It is a shredded flank steak in a tomato sauce base.
The origin of ropa vieja is from the Canary Islands (Spain), which were the last place ships from Spain would stop on the way to the Americas. They were also the first place that Spanish ships coming from the Americas would stop en route back to Spain. Due to this, Canarian culture is very similar to the Caribbean as well as Spain. The Canarian Spanish dialect of Spanish spoken there is very similar to the Caribbean and sounds extremely close to the Cuban dialect, due to heavy and continuous immigration to Cuba. This is how ropa vieja arrived in the island; with the Canarian immigrants.[citation needed] The original version of Ropa Vieja contained leftovers, but later became a shredded meat dish with garbanzo beans and potatoes in the Canary Islands.
Some versions in the Canary Islands contain beef or chicken or pork, or a combination of any of the three. The dish is a national feature of Cuba, and does not have garbanzo beans or potatoes in Cuba; it is just the shredded meat in sauce. Various shredded meat in sauce version of the dish are prepared in Venezuela and are called carne mechada. This is a part of the Venezuelan national dish, pabellon criollo, which includes the carne mechada, caraotas negras (black beans), platano maduro frito (fried ripe (sweet) plantains), arroz blanco, (white rice), and sometimes arepitas (small arepas).
One of our original recipes, I'm sure a lot of you will be excited about having this meal back in our menu.
Happy Thursday!!
The new "in" food of the beginning of the 21st century is actually an old world dish from South America called Ceviche. It has been one of South America's best-kept secret for centuries, but Ceviche is becoming a popular appetizer and will be gaining popularity as the century progresses.
Ceviche's birthplace is disputed between Peru and Ecuador, and as both countries have an amazing variety of fish and shellfish, it could easily have come from the ancient Inca civilizations of Peru and Ecuador. Every Latin American country has given seviche/ceviche its own touch of individuality by adding its own particular garnishes. In Peru, it is served with slices of cold sweet potatoes or corn-on-the-cob. In Ecuador, it is accompanied by popcorn, nuts, or corn nuts. It is also served in a large crystal bowl with the guests helping themselves, either by spearing it with toothpicks or filling the pastry shells. In Mexico, seviche is accompanied by slices of raw onions and served on toasted tortillas.
| General Description Saffron is the stigma of Crocus sativus, a flowering plant in the crocus family. Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, is costly because more than 225,000 stigmas must be hand picked to produce one pound. In its pure form, saffron is a mass of compressed, threadlike, dark orange strands. | |
| Geographical Sources Saffron is native to the Mediterranean. Today it is cultivated primarily in Spain. | |
| Traditional Ethnic Uses Saffron is used in French bouillabaisse, Spanish paella, Milanese risotto, and many Middle Eastern dishes. | |
| Taste and Aroma Saffron has a spicy, pungent, and bitter flavor with a sharp and penetrating odor. | |
| History/Region of Origin Ancient Greeks and Romans scattered Saffron to perfume public baths. The 13th century Crusaders brought Saffron from Asia to Europe, where it was used as a dye and condiment. In Asia, Saffron was a symbol of hospitality. In India, people used Saffron to mark themselves as members of a wealthy caste. | |
