Ropa vieja, translates to “old clothes”. Although that doesn’t sound very appetizing, it describes the shreds of meat, peppers, and onions resembling a mess of colorful rags. I serve this with Spanish Yellow Rice or corn tortillas.
Ropa Vieja
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 6 oz bacon
- 2 lb flank steak, cut into 1½" strips
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 1 tbsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. dried thyme
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 16 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 yellow or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup halved, pimiento stuffed green olives
- ¼ cup capers, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp. white vinegar
- ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Render bacon in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Transfer to a plate, leaving fat in pot.
- Season steak with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook steak until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
- Add onion to pot; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, cumin, thyme, oregano, garlic and bay leaf; stir and cook until lightly caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook, scraping bottom of pot, for 1 minute.
- Return bacon and steak to pot with broth, and tomatoes. Reduce to medium-low; cook, covered, until steak is very tender, about 3 hours.
- Remove steak, and shred; return meat to pot with peppers, olives, capers and vinegar. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.
- Serve with Spanish yellow rice and top with cilantro.
Adapted from Cuban-Style Ropa Vieja at www.Saveur.com
