Cuban Ropa Vieja Recipe |+Video|
Serving: 6 servings
Equipment
- Dutch oven (cast iron pot with lid) or large skillet
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds flank steak [700 grams] or chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups beef broth or chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika optional
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste or 2 cups of tomato sauce
- ½ cup pitted green olives and/or black olives
- 4 chopped plum tomatoes
- Fresh cilantro to garnish
Instructions
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Serving
- Remove the meat from the heat, discard the bay leaf, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 785mg | Potassium: 635mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1058IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg
