Old clothes: 6 popular recipes (Cuban, Canarian, Colombian, and more)

Old clothes is a dish that is known in several countries in America and Europe. Old Cuban clothing is so popular that many people believe that it is native to this country, but it is not. Old clothes is a recipe that was born in Spain through the Sephardim.

When the Sephardim arrived in Iberian territory, they were already preparing recipes similar to Spanish stew. To avoid wasting the leftover meat, they shredded it and mixed it with chickpeas, giving it a look like rags.

Thus was born the recipe for old clothes, which has been modified according to the region. Let's get to know the best known old clothes recipes.

• It might interest you: "The 7 most typical dishes of Spanish cuisine

Old clothes: Cuban, Canarian, Colombian, Mexican and other country recipes

When Europe and America met, also culture and gastronomy merged. This is how the old clothes recipes came to America and adopted different nuances with ingredients from each region, giving way to new versions.

Shredded meat is the identifying element of a recipe for old clothes. However, there are notable differences regarding the level of cooking, the preparation and the ingredients that accompany it. Below are some of the best known old clothes recipes: Cuban, Canarian, Colombian-Venezuelan, Mexican-Panamanian, Spanish and Argentine.

• You might want to read: "The 12 types of salad (and the ingredients they contain)"

1. Cuban old clothes

Cuban old clothes are one of the most popular dishes on the island. To prepare this recipe you need to cook it in a pressure cooker with the main ingredients following: 850 grams of fat-free flank steak, 1 turnip, 2 carrots, 1 leek, 1 celery, parsley, coriander and laurel.

The rest of the ingredients for the old clothes are: 3 tablespoons of olive oil, julienned onion, red and green pepper, 1 finely chopped tomato, garlic, coriander, cumin, 1 glass of white wine, 200 ml of the meat broth that was cooked, fried tomato, pepper and salt.

To start, in a mortar, mash the garlic, cumin and coriander with a little salt until obtaining a paste, set aside. The ripe tomato is peeled off and finely chopped, it is also reserved.

Then, in a saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the onions, peppers and a pinch of salt, add the chopped tomato and the garlic, cumin and coriander paste.

Then the shredded meat is added and the white wine is added over high heat. When it has evaporated, empty the meat broth and leave it over low heat, adding the fried tomato.

Finally, everything is mixed and a lid is placed to cook for about 25 minutes. It should be left with little broth.

• It might interest you: "The 6 healthiest diets to lose weight in a healthy way"

2. Canarian old clothes

Canarian old clothes is a typical dish of the Canary Islands. This recipe is known as a dish to take advantage of food, that is, to take advantage of the remains of meat or chicken from other recipes.

To prepare Canarian-style old clothes you will need: 800 grams of cooked beef or chicken, 250 grams of cooked chickpeas, 1 onion, cloves of garlic, bell pepper, 3 tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, olive oil, sweet paprika, black pepper, ½ glass of chicken or beef broth, parsley and potatoes.

To begin with, the meat is shredded, and in a saucepan the garlic and onion are fried with olive oil. When they are golden, add the julienned pepper. Once the pepper is golden, add the crushed tomato and a teaspoon of paprika. Then it is left to cook for a few minutes so that the ingredients are mixed.

To finish, add the shredded meat or chicken and cook for a minute. Then the chickpeas, bay leaf, thyme, oregano and peppercorns are added, and season with a pinch of salt.

Finally, add the meat broth and let it rest for 5 minutes. Keep in mind that this recipe for old Canarian clothes is served drier than juicy.

• Other users have read: "How to eliminate gas naturally with these 7 remedies"

3. Colombian and Venezuelan old clothes

The old clothes recipe in Colombia and Venezuela is delicious and easy to prepare. In Colombia it is common for old clothes to be served over arepas or patacones, which are tortillas or tostadas. They are based on corn in the case of arepas and green plantain in the case of patacones.

Beyond this detail, the old clothes recipe is similar in Colombia and Venezuela. To prepare it you will need: 850 grams of skirt beef, 6 beaten eggs, 1 kilo of tomato, oil, salt, pepper, onion, tomato, white wine and beef broth.

To start, the beef brisket is cooked in a pressure cooker, removing the fat. Once the meat is tender, it is allowed to cool to later crumble it. It is then set aside while the rest of the recipe is prepared.

At this time you can prepare the stew or hogao, a sauce that is made with tomato and onion to which a pinch of salt is added to season. Once the hogao is ready, add the shredded meat and mix over low heat, and after 10 minutes add the 6 eggs until they are set.

Finally the white wine and the broth are added and it is removed from the heat. It is served while it is warm, being a recipe for old clothes it is really delicious and one of the fastest to make.

• Maybe you are interested: "¿What is the paleo diet? Discover their main ideas"

4. Old Mexican and Panamanian clothes

Mexican and Panamanian old clothes are similar due to one particularity: the spicy. As in most Mexican recipes, the old clothes include chili. The same happens with the Panamanian recipe, which only differs from the Mexican in being more broth.

To prepare the recipe you need: 1 kilo of beef (although it can be substituted for beef brisket), 2 onions in wedges, 12 cloves of garlic, 1 carrot in pieces, 4 poblano peppers in slices, 2 tomatoes, beef broth, 2 limes, cilantro and Salt.

To cook the meat, put the meat, 6 cloves of garlic, the carrot and salt to taste in a pressure cooker. It is left to cook and when the meat is ready, it is left to cool and then shredded.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan you have to fry the onion. When it is ready, add the chilies cut into slices, mix them in the sauce and cook.

The meat is then seasoned and fried until golden brown. In the Panamanian recipe, tomato sauce made with beef broth is added. Also, it can be served alongside white rice. Another option is to serve the meat and the sauce separately, and top with tomato, coriander and lime.

• Other users have read: "Vegan Recipes: 8 Easy Dishes for Beginners"

5. Old Spanish clothing (Andalusian and Galician)

Old clothes are cooked in a similar way in Spain. The only difference is that white wine is added in the Andalusian recipe, as in Cuba, while in Galicia eggs are used as in the Colombian recipe.

What they have in common is that they all take advantage of leftovers from other recipes such as Madrid stew. In addition to the meat, you have to include enough vegetables to give more flavor to the old clothes.

Therefore, you need: cooked the day before (Madrid stew, Catalan escudella, etc.), onion, sweet paprika and olive oil. For the Galician old clothes you have to add 6 eggs and for the Andalusian recipe you have to add white wine.

The first step is to fry the onion in a pan with olive oil. Then add the sweet paprika, and once it is golden, add the cooked.

In this step you can add white wine and wait for it to evaporate and then turn off the heat and let it rest. If eggs are added to the mixture, wait until they are cooked and then turn off the heat.

Another variant of the Andalusian and Galician recipe is that it is customary to add fried potatoes once it has been served.

• Maybe you are interested: "What is the best packaged gazpacho? Top 9 brands

6. Argentine old clothes

The preparation of Argentine old clothes is done with barbecue. In Argentina it is very common to prepare asados ​​with different cuts of meat, and Argentine old clothes are prepared to take advantage of the pieces of meat left over from this barbecue.

Argentine old clothes is a very simple recipe but it has a great flavor. You can combine different types of meat that have been left over from the roast or choose just one, the requirement is that all the fat that the pieces of meat may have is removed.

For this recipe, in addition to the roast meat, you need an onion, a green pepper, 4 tomatoes and a mustard vinaigrette.

First what is done is to cut the meat, the onion, the green pepper and the 4 tomatoes into cubes, and put all the ingredients in a bowl.

Then a vinaigrette containing mustard is prepared. Then the vinaigrette is added on top of all the ingredients and everything is mixed well.

There are no more steps than these, thus making the recipe for Argentine old clothes ready. Unlike the rest of the recipes, the old clothes is a dish that is not served hot.

• We recommend you: "9 keys to control and lower high blood pressure”

Bibliographic references

• Goldberg, D. Kuhn, A., Eddy, J. and Villena, B. (2017). Cuba. Recipes and stories of Cuban cuisine. Neo Pearson.

• Roque, R. (2013). Latin Cuisine: The flavor of the Latin world. AC Press.

• Vázquez, I. (2008). The Great Book of Latin American Cuisine. New York, (NY), USA: Bertelsmann Direct North America Inc.