Main Courses, Recipes, Vegan

Oyster Mushroom Ropa Vieja

by Lisa Dawn

Have you ever heard of Ropa Vieja? I never have but saw it one day while I was watching Beat Bobby Flay. I like to watch cooking shows to get ideas for dishes to veganize, which is kind of my specialty!

Ropa Vieja is one of Cuba’s designated national dishes. Ropa Vieja means “old clothes” or “dirty rags” in Spanish and this pile of goodness has that vibe.

So, how do you veganize Ropa Vieja? Mushrooms! Actually, shredded oyster mushrooms. See that big oyster mushroom? I literally pulled it apart and it works great imitating dirty rags!

The flavors in this dish are amazing – between the mushrooms, wine, capers and olives – you can’t go wrong. Try it and let me know what you think.

Print

Oyster Mushroom Ropa Vieja

A fantastic, flavorful veganized version of the famous Cuban dish Ropa Vieja!

Course Main Course
Servings 2 plates

Ingredients

  • 8 oz oyster mushroom see photo!
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sazon seasoning
  • 1/4 cup white wine I like Vegan Vine Chardonnay
  • 1/2 small onion
  • 1/4 each red, orange and green pepper
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup filtered water
  • 1/4 cup roasted red peppers homemade or store bought
  • 1/4 cup pitted green olives sliced thinly
  • 1 tablespoon capers drained
  • Handful parsley for garnish

Instructions

  1. Shred the oyster mushroom from root to cap. Place the mushroom shreds in a dry heated skillet, sprinkle with Sazon seasoning, and cover. Cook the shreds on medium heat for 5 minutes. They will release their liquid and start to caramelize. 

  2. Take the cover off the skillet and deglaze the pan with the white wine. Use a wooden spoon to get all of the goodness off the bottom of the pan. 

  3. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and set aside.

  4. Slice the onion into half moons and thinly slice the peppers lengthwise, keeping everything about the same size. Add to the pan and season with oregano and smoked paprika. Sauté in oil or water until they start to soften.

  5. Press the garlic over the onions and peppers. When the garlic is fragrant, add the tomato paste and stir around. Cook for a minute, releasing the flavor of the tomato paste.

  6. Add the mushrooms back into the pan along with the water. Add the roasted peppers, olives and capers and cook it all together until the sauce is thick and smells delicious.

  7. Serve over rice and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I served this Ropa Vieja over yellow rice. It is just a splash of olive oil in a pot and a few shakes of turmeric. I toss the rice around until it is all coated, add water and cook until done. 

Leave a Reply