Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef)

This Cuban braised beef dish literally translates to ‘old clothes,’ because apparently some people thought the fall-apart meat and colorful strips of onions and peppers, tangled together, looked like old, tattered clothing. You’ll love this dish if you’re into big, bold flavors, since there’s nothing subtle about the seasoning here. Delicious served with beans, rice, and plantain chips. Garnish with more cilantro.

Step: 1

Cut flank steak in half across the grain. Mix salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Season both sides generously with the salt mixture.

Step: 2

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.

Step: 3

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.

Step: 4

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.

Step: 5

Remove pot from heat and let stew cool to room temperature, at least 45 minutes. Refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight, for best results.

Step: 6

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.

Per Serving: 209 calories; protein 11.9g; carbohydrates 10.4g; fat 12.5g; cholesterol 27.5mg; sodium 1275mg.

The name of “stew” can process to both a dish and a cooking method. Stewing involves not fast cooking chunks of meat, vegetables or beans in a flavorful water based . It’s similar to braising, but it makes have a few notable differences. The meat is chopped into few of pieces but of being cooked all of it , and the water based material completely covers the contents in a stew as compared to a braise’s halfway full . When meat or raw fruit are cooked using this method, the resulting dish is called stew.

Stew has a reputation for being a rib-sticking meal that warms you up on a cold , winter day. It’s right that ; a bowl of old menu of beef stew does have warming featured food , but stew’s comfort factor more than a way beyond preserving you from the cold . It’s all about those tender chunks of food and vegetables, swimming in a thick, ultra-rich gravy. The more they come together make the greatest comfort food, no matter the weather.