2tablespoonsof tomato paste or 2 cups of tomato sauce
½cupof pitted green olivesand/or black
4chopped plum tomatoes
Fresh cilantro to garnish
Instructions
Seasoning and browning
Pat the meat with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Season the meat with 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.Heat the oil in the Dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook until it has browned, turn, and brown all over.
Cooking the meat
Lower the heat to medium, and pour in 4 cups of water and broth, scraping the brown bits stuck to the pot. Add the bay leaf, oregano, and cumin.Cover and simmer over low heat until the meat is so tender that you can pull off strands of it with a fork. This takes about 2 hours in a regular pot. Turn the meat, and add water regularly to keep the same liquid level.
Cooking vegetables
Once the meat is tender, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook and stir until the onion has turned translucent. Add the red pepper and cook until it is heated through.Stir in the tomato paste, add the tomatoes or tomato sauce, and olives. Cover and simmer until you shred the meat.
Shredding meat
Remove the meat from the liquid (set the broth aside), and using two forks, shred it into thin strips about the length and size of the pepper strips.Add the shredded beef and broth to the pot, increase heat to medium-high, and let the liquids reduce until the meat is very juicy but not soupy.Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serving
Remove the meat from the heat, discard the bay leaf, garnish with cilantro, and serve.