Cuban Meat Stew Ropa Vieja Food

ROPA VIEJA (CUBAN BEEF)

Steps:

• Cut flank steak in half across the grain. Mix salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Season both sides generously with the salt mixture.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over high heat. Add steaks and cook until outsides are well browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove steaks to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add red onion, garlic, and more of the salt seasoning. Cook and stir until starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cloves, and allspice. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour in white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.
• Return beef and accumulated juices to the pot. Season with salt and add bay leaves. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beef is almost fork-tender, not falling apart, about 2 hours.
• Remove pot from heat and let stew cool to room temperature, at least 45 minutes. Refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight, for best results.
• Remove beef to a plate and set stew over medium heat. Tear beef along the grain into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-wide shreds; place back in the stew. Add bell peppers, poblanos, smoked paprika, capers, olives, and sugar. Stir together and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until peppers are soft and meat is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove bay leaves, and stir in cilantro.

OLD CLOTHES (BEEF STEW): ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• Boil the flank steak with bay leaves, carrots, 1 onion, and oregano with enough water to cover the ingredients. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Drain and let the meat cool, cut into 2-inch cubes and then shred.
• Saute the remaining onion, peppers, and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Deglaze with sherry. Add tomatoes and cumin. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the shredded meat and cook for 1/2 hour. Season with salt and pepper.

ROPA VIEJA (CUBAN MEAT STEW)

Steps:

• Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Season meat with Adobo. Add steak to pot and cook in batches, flipping once, until well browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate. Lower heat to medium. Stir in onions and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add sofrito and garlic to pot; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in 3 cups of water, tomato sauce, Sazon, beef bouillon and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Return beef to pot. Lower heat to medium low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Stir in olives and capers. Cover pot; simmer until meat shreds easily with fork, 1 - 1 1/2 hours, adding more water in 1/4 cup measurements, if pot becomes dry. Transfer meat to work surface; shred meat with two forks. Bring remaining sauce to a boil. Mix meat and cilantro into sauce. Serve with white rice.

CUBAN ROPA VIEJA - CROCK POT (OAMC)

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
• Transfer beef to a slow cooker.
• In a large bowl, mix together the beef broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, onion, bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar.
• Stir until well blended.
• Pour over flank steak in slow cooker.
• Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours.
• When ready to serve, shred meat and serve with tortillas or rice.
• If freezing ahead: Don't brown the meat, just put ingredients in a ziploc bag and place in freezer, flattened. (I like to fit it into a bowl that will fit into the crockpot, but you don't have to.
• To cook from frozen: Thaw in refrigerator if desired (or put in frozen). Cook as directed above. If cooking from frozen add time for thawing.

CUBAN ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Brown the flank steak on each side, about 4 minutes per side.
• Transfer beef to slow cooker.
• Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce, then add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, cilantro, olive oil and vinegar.
• Stir until well blendedl.
• Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours.
• When ready to serve, shred meat, and serve with tortillas or rice.

CUBAN MEAT STEW (ROPA VIEJA)

Steps:

• Season steak with Adobo.
• In large skillet, heat oil on medium high, brown meat on both sides, remove and keep warm.
• Lower heat to medium, add garlic, onion and green pepper, cook-stirring often for about 10 minutes.
• Stir in black pepper and tomato sauce and cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the sofrito, water, sazon and bouillon and bring to a boil.
• Return the meat to the pan, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring it occasionally.
• Add in the capers and olives, continue to simmer covered, until the meat is tender and shreds easily.
• This should take about 1-1/2 hours.
• You can add more water 1/4 cup at a time if the sauce gets too dry.
• To serve, shred the meat with 2 forks and mix back into sauce.