Ropa Vieja — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Cuba's national dish — tender shredded beef braised in a rich tomato-pepper sauce until it falls into rags (ropa vieja means 'old clothes'). The long, slow cooking creates intensely flavorful, meltingly soft meat.

Ingredients

1kg beef flank steak
1 large onion, thinly sliced into strips
1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
400g canned crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
120ml dry white wine
1 cup beef broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives
2 tbsp capers, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1 Place the whole flank steak in a large pot and cover with cold water by five centimetres. Add half the sliced onion, two crushed garlic cloves, one bay leaf, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for two hours until the meat shreds easily with a fork.
2 Remove the steak from the broth and let it cool for fifteen minutes. Reserve two cups of the cooking broth for later. Using two forks, shred the beef along the grain into long, thin strips resembling old rags, which is the origin of the dish's name meaning 'old clothes' in Spanish.
3 Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the remaining sliced onion and cook for five minutes until soft. Add the sliced green and red bell peppers and cook for another five minutes until they begin to soften and develop some colour.
4 Add the minced garlic, ground cumin, and dried oregano, stirring for one minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for two minutes to caramelize slightly, then add the crushed tomatoes and white wine. Simmer for five minutes to meld the flavours.
5 Add the shredded beef to the sauce along with the reserved cooking broth, remaining bay leaf, olives, and capers. Stir well to coat all the meat in the rich sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.
6 The sauce should reduce and thicken, coating the shredded beef in a glossy, deep red sauce. The peppers should be very tender but still hold their shape. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
7 Serve the ropa vieja over steamed white rice with a side of fried sweet plantains and black beans. Garnish generously with fresh cilantro. This dish tastes even better when made a day ahead and gently reheated, allowing the flavours to deepen overnight.