Ropa Vieja

Back home, there was this great Cuban place near my house. One of my Spanish teachers in high school was from Cuba, so he encouraged us to all visit the restaurant. Once I went, I was hooked, and by far my favorite dish was ropa vieja. A dish of seasoned shredded beef, it is tasty by itself or over rice or with potatoes or on tortillas or .... in anything ever. So when I came across this recipe, I was ecstatic. But since it takes a good time investment, I put the recipe off for quite awhile. I won't be doing THAT again. As this dish freezes well, I plan to start making it in batches and freezing it so we can have ropa vieja goodness whenever I want.

Fun fact, ropa vieja means old clothes in Spanish.


Ropa Vieja

• 3-4 lbs flank steak, with the visible fat removed
• dozen peppercorns
• 6-8 oz favorite salsa - I used a salsa verde, VERY tasty
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp mild chili powder
• 2 cups water

Place the steak in slow cooker and sprinkle in the peppercorns. Add water until the meat is almost covered. Cook on low for 9 hours. Let the meat cool. (At this point, I just let the meat cool then put it in the fridge so I could complete the dish a day or two later. You could also freeze the meat.)

Once you're ready to finish the dish, cut the meat into 3 inch strips. Make sure to cut AGAINST the grain, because next you're going to shred the meat and you want 3 inch shreds.

Place the meat in a LARGE, nonstick flying pan. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. If your pan isn't large enough - like mine - this will be plenty tricky as you try not to spill your precious ingredients.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the meat is all turned to rags.

Now, be careful while you're simmering the dish. You might be tempted to pull little bits of meat out of the pan, which might burn your fingers. Not like I know from experience or anything, though....