Ropa Vieja Con Puerca

Ropa vieja con puerca. It sounds exotic right? The literal translation means old dress, but when used in cooking, it is the Spanish word for leftovers. And I made it with pork or puerca insteadof the traditional beef. The Queen and I are always coming up tasty ways to use up our leftovers, and you would never know they weren’t “firstovers”. 🙂

Ropa vieja is an old Spanish dish going back at least 500 years. It has both Medieval Sephardic Jewish and Arabic influences. 9 The dish traces back to medieval Sephardic Jews in Spain, who slow-cooked hearty Sabbath stews overnight to avoid working on holy days. Rumor has it that the name comes from a poor man who shredded his garments to feed his family with the tattered, thread-like appearance of the cooked meat. Traditionally, the dish is made with shredded beef, but today, it is made with any kind of meat.

Ropa Vieja

Any kind of leftover meat will do, though traditionally this dish is served with beef and vegetables. I used all of the rest of the vegetables Julia brought to me. It was a good way to use the small eggplants she brought too.

1-1 1/2 lbs cooked meat, cubed or shredded

2 small eggplants, diced

olive oil

1 onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, sliced very thin

1/4 cup sliced olives

1 patty pan squash, sliced

1 small poblano pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3-4 tomatoes, diced

1 cup beef or other stock-I had chicken stock on hand, so that’s what I used

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

salt & pepper to taste

Get a large skillet very hot and add the olive oil. Add all the heartier vegetables and seasonings and cook for about 5-7 minutes.

Add the pork, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the olives and garbanzo beans. Continue to cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.

I served it over brown rice with some Spanish beans and more of my olive bread on the side. !Delicioso!

Leftovers are too good to throw away. Dress them up and change them around a bit, and no one will ever know you didn’t plan their new look all along. 🙂

Life is short. Make the most out of everyday and live life to the fullest. Enjoy the ride. Have a great day and make everyday great. ‘Til next time.