Ropa Vieja

Cuba

Over the last 5 years, one of my favorite places to travel to has been to Cuba. My fondest memories I have are of the people and the food we have shared together. Ivan, our local expert, is now a great friend of mine and we both share a passion for cooking and eating. On my last visit, Ivan invited me over to his house and taught me how to make one of Cuba's traditional dishes, called "Ropa Vieja," which is Spanish for "Old Clothes" (the meat resembles old clothes after cooking). This popular Caribbean dish consists of shredded beef (often skirt or flank steak), vegetables, and a sauce. If you have the time to make this, I hope you enjoy it! 

—Daniel Shenk Moreno - ActivSport Travel Trip Leader (and COO)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 4 hours, 30 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chuck - ask your butcher to cut it taller than wider so you get long strands of beef along the grain or flank steak

• 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced

• 1 of each large green red and yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

• 4 cloves garlic minced

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 1 cup chicken broth

• 1 16 ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 large carrot cut in half

• 1 large stalk celery cut in half

• 1 cup green olives rinsed and drained (you can slice them if you prefer)

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced roasted red peppers (drained)

• 1/4 cup pimientos (drained)

• 2 tablespoons capers (rinsed and drained)

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Pat the beef dry and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

2. Heat a little oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Once very hot add the beef and brown generously on all sides. Transfer the beef to a plate. (Do not discard the drippings and blackened bits in the pot, they are key to the flavor.)

3. Add the sliced vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until caramelized. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute. Add the white wine and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pan (scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan).

4. Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Return the roast to the pot along with the pieces of carrots and celery. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours or until the beef is fork tender and falls apart easily. Discard the celery, carrots and bay leaves.

6. Transfer the beef to a plate and shred it.

7. Stir in the olives, roasted red peppers, capers and pimientos. Simmer uncovered to thicken the sauce for 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.