Friday, February 5, 2010

Chicken Ropa Vieja and Mangu


We had an awesome dinner Wednesday night.  It was perfect too... it's been raining and super cold in the Dallas/Ft, Worth area for what seems to be 3 months straight.  There is a Cuban dish called Ropa Vieja (pronounced Rope-Ah Vee- ae- ha) which translates to "old clothes".  Ropa vieja is usually made with flank steak that is cooked till fork tender. Usually in a pressure cooker and then shredded.  This time around I used chicken breasts and it was just as good.  I was thrilled to see that although green plantains are considered a carbohydrate, it's somewhat low on the glycemic index so in my book, that means we can eat them every so often.  My guess is that they're loaded with fiber so that's why they're digested more slowly, causing less of a spike in glucose levels..   I didn't want to fry them as they're usually prepared in Cuban cuisine.  So I called up my Dominican friend, Gaudy, and asked her how to make Mangu.  Mangu is a dish made of mashed green plantains that is delicious.


For the Chicken Ropa Vieja:
4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) (boiled and shredded)
1 small yellow onion
1 small red bell pepper
1 small green bell pepper
1 small yellow bell pepper ( I usually don't add this, but I had one left that I didn't want to let spoil)
4 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
2 cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Boil and shred the chicken breasts.  If you need something to do while the chicken is cooking, begin slicing your onions into half-rounds.  Really you can cut it up however you like, but I like strips for this dish.  Same thing goes for the peppers.  Slice them up in strips.  Mince or grate your garlic cloves and set aside.  In a non-stick pan, preferably something with a little depth to hold all the ingredients to come, add the olive oil and turn the heat on to med. high. Add the onions, peppers and garlic and allow for them to cook until tender.  Stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken to the pot and combine with the veggies.  Next add the bay leaf, garlic powder, tomato sauce, white wine, cumin, lime juice, ketchup, salt, and pepper and mix well.  It should be quite wet or moist, if not add a little more liquid- chicken stock would work or even a little water.  Turn the heat down to med. low and allow for the chicken to simmer int he sauce for about 20 minutes.

For the Mangu:
3 large green plantains
5 tbsp. butter
1/3 cup water
a pinch of garlic powder
salt to taste

Now, let me start by saying that I didn't exactly follow Gaudy's steps exactly because I was kind of lazy and I figured the chicken had lots of onions so I didn't want it to be over kill.  But she did recommend that  I add one sauteed onion to the mashed plantains.  She also said the traditional Mangu did not have garlic, but I couldn't help myself.  I just added a little garlic powder.

Any who the first thing you do is remove the skin off the plantains and cut into sections.  Add water to a pot and season with salt. Put it on the stove and once the water is boiling, add the plantains.  Cook the plantains until for tender.  Once cooked, drain and place in a mixing bowl.  With a potato masher, begin to mash the plantains adding the butter in little by little and blending.  If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water and continue blending.  Season with a little garlic powder and salt, and continue mashing till smooth.

Serve on a dish topped with the chicken, sprinkled with cheese.  Get ready for an awesome night's sleep.

19 comments:

Cubana1951 said...

I am so glad to have found another Cuban-American foodie, and thanks for the recipes.

Starr said...

I'm Mexican, but born and raised in the Dominican Republic. I love food and love cooking. I stopped eating red meats and pork but today I was really craving some ropa vieja. I came across your blog and was very excited to find a recipe made with chicken. This recipe was right on point. So delicious!

MyAsia said...

my daughter's school is celebrating "international" this week. Going to try this dish as her Cuban contribution....can hardly wait!!! (^_^)

Rox said...

Hi there MyAsia... Hope the recipe turned out ok... ;)

50 of the World’s Best Breakfasts said...

49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries.

Maria said...

Hello Rox:

I cannot wait to make this recipie; it looks gastronomically amazing....CAN YOU EMAIL ME A COPY?

MILLE GRAZIE,

MARIA

Kristie said...

I cannot wait to try this recipie!!! I have had Mangu many times in a "traditional Dominican breakfas" since my husband is Dominican and I have been there many times over the last 20 years. I love Mangu and am always looking for different ways to serve it to my Italian/American family.

50 of the World’s Best Breakfasts Salivating That’s… « Sinan Aydın'dan said...

[...] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. [...]

Breakfast from around the world said...

[...] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. [...]

50 of the World’s Best Breakfasts from Hostels around the World | Daybreak Club said...

[...] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. [...]

50 of the World’s Best Breakfasts from Hostels around the World | Skipping Stars Productions LLC said...

[...] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. [...]

50 of the World’s Best Breakfasts | luxurytravellifestyle.com said...

[...] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. [...]

50 of the World’s Best Breakfasts from Around the World | The HostelBookers Blog said...

[...] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. [...]

World Breakfast Tour « Area 14/8 said...

[...] [...]

Breakfasts from around the world « addictivity said...

[...] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. [...]

50 of the World’s Best Breakfasts | FUNKY PICKENS said...

[...] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. [...]

Best Breakfast from around the Globe | zerobulletin said...

[…] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. […]

50 Mouth Watering Breakfasts From Around The World. #1 Is Our Favorite. said...

[…] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. […]

50 of the World’s Best Breakfasts (網路轉貼) | Life Begins at the End of your Comfort Zone said...

[…] 49. Breakfast in the Dominican Republic – you need to try the mangu. Mangu is made from mashing boiled plantains with butter and either salami, cheese or eggs. Top it off with a hot chocolate and you’ve got yourself some traditional Dominican Republic fare. Gracias Yuca Diaries. […]


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