Ropa Vieja
Shredded braised flank steak in a savory tomato-pepper sauce, Cuba's national dish.
Meat
How this varies: The dish traces back to the Canary Islands, brought to Cuba by Canarian immigrants (first documented there in 1857) and still eaten in the Canaries today, usually with chickpeas rather than the rice-and-beans sides typical of the Cuban version — but the shredded-beef-in-tomato-sauce dish as most people know it today is distinctly Cuban.
Ingredients
- 1kg flank steak
- 1 onion, sliced, plus 1 chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced, plus 1 chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 400g canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup dry sherry (or dry white wine)
- 1/4 cup green olives
- 2 tbsp capers
- 2 tbsp jarred pimientos, sliced
- 3 cups beef stock
- 2 tbsp oil
Steps
- Simmer flank steak in beef stock with a sliced onion and the bay leaf until very tender, about 1.5-2 hours. Remove and shred with two forks, reserving stock (discard the bay leaf).
- Heat oil, saute chopped onion and pepper until soft.
- Add garlic, cumin, and oregano, cook 1 minute.
- Add crushed tomatoes and sherry, simmer 10 minutes.
- Stir in shredded beef and a splash of reserved stock, simmer 20 minutes until flavors meld.
- Add olives, capers, and pimientos in the last 5 minutes. Serve with white rice and black beans.