Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
“Discover Canarian ropa vieja, a flavoursome stew with a rich history! Although often associated with Cuba, this ‘old clothes’ dish has its origins in Spain and is a beloved classic in the Canary Islands. Packed with deep flavours of smoked paprika, tender beef (neck steak) and Mediterranean vegetables, this version is a perfect zero-waste recipe for using up leftovers. A delicious Spanish stew that will transport you to the sunny islands!
Canarian Ropa Vieja Stew (Authentic Recipe)
The Canary Islands have to import a lot of products but also have a few distinctive products of their own. Such as goat cheese, goat meat, rum, and gofio (a type of cornstarch). The history of these islands is marked by conquest and being conquered by various countries. The Dutch also made an attempt, but failed to really get a foothold. It is a pity that because of this kind of expansion drive the real original Canarians, the Guanches, had to lose out. The islands are therefore a melting pot of various cultures and diverse cuisines. This Canarian ropa vieja stew is an example of this.
Ropa vieja literally means "old clothes" and refers to the torn pieces of meat that are in the stew. The dish originated in Spain, where it was made with leftovers from cooked beef. However, the Canarian version usually uses pork or chicken, and also adds chickpeas, potatoes and vegetables. The stew is flavored with paprika, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, garlic and tomato paste. It is a simple but tasty dish that you can serve with bread, rice or gofio.
The Canarian ropa vieja stew is a typical example of how Canarian cuisine has been influenced by different cultures. The chickpeas and spices come from the Arab cuisine, the tomato paste from the American cuisine and the meat from the European cuisine. The dish is also a symbol of how the Canarians manage their limited resources. They make use of what they can grow or produce locally, such as goat cheese and rum, and they waste nothing by using leftovers in delicious Canarian recipes such as ropa vieja.
Step-by-step preparation of the recipe
Here you will find the complete recipe with all the ingredients you need. I hope you have fun preparing the dish below.
Canary ropa vieja stew
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Ingredients:
- 1 kg neck-lap
- 250 ml beef boullion
- 3 peppers - yellow/red/green cut into strips
- 1 can grilled peppers - cut into strips
- 5 toes Garlic - XNUMX onion - shredded
- 1 root - grated and cut in half
- 2 celery sticks - cut in half
- 800 gram peeled tomatoes - 2 x 400 gram can
- 2 white onions - XNUMX onion - shredded
- 1 tin can tomato paste
- 150 gram green olives
- 2 el capers
- 150 ml White wine
- 4 twigs fresh chopped parsley - finely chopped
To make spice mix:
- 1 el peper
- 2 el salt
- 1 el smoked paprika powder
- 1 el onion powder
- 2 el paprika powder mild
- 1 el cumin powder
- 1 el nutmeg powder
- 2 bay leaves
Nice and easy: click on the logo of your favorite supermarket to add the ingredients.
And this is how you make it:
- Grab a bowl and add all the herbs and spices in it and mix everything into one spice mix with a fork.
- Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper. Heat your frying pan well and pour in some olive oil. Fry the meat well on both sides until it is really well browned. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Scoop the chopped onion, garlic and the tin of tomato puree and the spice mix into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes. Leave the residue on the bottom; these will give a lot of flavour to the sauce later.
- Add the bell pepper strips (we will save the grilled bell pepper strips until later). And deglaze with the wine, let it fry for a while. Add the carrot and celery to the pan and then the meat. Add the peeled tomatoes and the stock. The meat should now be submerged. Add the bay leaves.
- Place the pan on the stew with the lid on and let it simmer for 4 hours.
- After 4 hours your meat should be completely tender, remove it from the pan and also remove the carrot and celery and bay leaf. Pull the meat apart with two forks and scoop it back into the pan. Now also add the capers, the grilled pepper strips, the olives and parsley. Now also add the capers, the grilled pepper strips, the olives and parsley. Stir well and let the stew simmer gently for about 20-30 minutes without a lid, so that the sauce can thicken slightly.
- Taste, season with some salt if necessary and serve with black beans and rice.
- Delicious bites!
This is a delicious beef dish, but I still have quite a few of those, try this one:
This Tex-Mex cowboy stew with a Dutch twist.
Special but certainly very tasty: stewed rabbit in Madeira sauce!
And this "succa de bocca" a delicious summer stew.
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ropa vieja canarian recipes Spanish
Hi Francine,
A delicious dish.
How many bay leaves are needed?
I don't see them listed in the ingredients.
Thank you very much in advance for your answer.
Greetings,
Manolito
Hi, they are listed under the herbs. 2 pieces, have fun cooking!