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4.9 from 264 votes

Ropa Vieja (Cuban Old Clothes Dish)

Bring something special to the table with this well-loved recipe.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs 10 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Cuban

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds beef Flank Steak or skirt steak, trimmed
  • 1 large red onion thinly sliced
  • 3 bell peppers thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons sweet 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 (or vegetable broth)
  • 16 ounce canned crushed tomatoes 1 can
  • 6 ounce tomato paste 1 can
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 large carrot cut in half
  • 1 stalk celery cut in half
  • 1 cup pimientos-stuffed green olives (or use green olives and 1/2 jarred pimientos separately)
  • 1/2 cup roasted red peppers canned
  • 2 tablespoons capers rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Pat the meat dry and season well with salt and pepper.
  2. Next, heat up some oil in a casserole dish over high flame and once well heated, add the meat in. Brown on both sides and transfer to a separate dish. Keep the melted fat as we'll use it to flavor to vegetables.
  3. Add all the sliced vegetables to the pot and cook, stirring often for about 20 minutes until beautifully browned and caramelized.
  4. Stir in the spices and minced garlic and mix for a minute, Next add the splash of white wine, bring to a boil and deglaze by scaring the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
  5. Next, pour in the chicken broth (or vegetable broth), tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and bay leaves and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes.
  6. Place the roasted beef pieces in the pot together with the carrot and celery slices. Once the contents are boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 3-4 hours until the meat pulls apart easily. Take out the carrots, celery and bay leaves and discard them.
  7. Take the beef out, shred it and introduce the capers, red peppers, olives and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.
  8. Once done, season with salt and pepper to taste, stir the meat back in and top with freshly chopped parsley.