Ropa Vieja (Cuban Pulled Beef)

 

Lately I've been daydreaming about sunshine and palm trees. As I mentioned in my last post, I managed to escape the deep freeze (i.e. Edmonton in December) for a week in lovely Varadero, Cuba, just before Christmas. It was my first warm weather vacation, the furthest south I've ever been, and after barely leaving Edmonton thanks to freezing rain, we finally arrived in Cuba. Ohhhh... it was so good. Sun, white sand beaches, and lots of rum. The whole thing seemed so surreal and dreamlike... especially as we landed back in -30C Edmonton. (I should add that it has since warmed up considerably, so E-Town and I are besties again).


While we were in Cuba, we took a day trip to Havana - one of the strangest, most interesting cities I've ever visited - and had lunch at Bar Cabaña. I made the mistake of ordering the chicken... it tasted good, but it was a lump of fried cordon bleu the size of my head, and it was a little much. My brother and his girlfriend ordered the beef - ropa vieja - and let me try some. It was soooo good. Rich and meaty and full of cumin. So the next night, I made sure to order some for dinner - it was the best Cuban food we had there.

The path to the beach. Sigh.

Ropa vieja literally means "old clothes," and it does resemble colourful rags in a way; flank steak, a stringy cut of beef, is slow-cooked until it falls apart and then stewed with strips of peppers and onions. Seasoned with lots of cumin, bay leaves, garlic and spices, it tastes a little like chilli... but it feels much more hearty (and I generally prefer actual cuts of beef to the ground beef that people usually put in chilli).

Anyway! I set out to recreate it the best I could, and using a few recipes as references, I ended up with something pretty tasty. I tried to keep it as authentic as possible (with a few exceptions), and serve it the way we had it in Cuba (i.e. not with Tostitos).

Ropa Vieja
Makes enough for about 6 generous servings
Mainly adapted from this recipe on Epicurious.com
 
Braising
2 lb flank steak
8 cups water
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 beef stock cube

Stewing
1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips (0.5cm or 1/4 inch)
1 red onion, sliced thinly (0.5cm or 1/4 inch)
olive oil for sauteeing
2 cups of braising liquid
796 ml can of diced tomatoes, undrained
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp brown sugar
Pinch of red pepper/chili flakes
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly (as above)
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly (as above)
black pepper and salt to taste

Serving
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 3/4 cups water
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of ground cumin
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Braise the beef: in a large pot, combine all the braising ingredients (make sure the steaks are fully submerged in liquid) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer with the lid on for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove pot from heat and allow everything to cool for 30 minutes, then transfer the steaks to a plate and cover with the pot lid (or foil, if that works better). Strain the braising liquid through a sieve over a large bowl, pressing the veggies and garlic through as much as possible. Return this liquid to the pot and boil for about 30 minutes, until it's reduced to about 3 or 4 cups. Pour back into the bowl and set aside. 

Getting the rice started: combine the rice, water, butter, salt and cumin in a saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes (or according to package instructions. You can also make white rice if you prefer). 

Stewing: in the same large pot as before, sauté the green pepper and onion in a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until softened. While the veggies are cooking, use two forks to pull the beef into shreds and chunks. Add the beef, 2 cups of braising liquid, can of tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and seasonings to the pot with the pepper and onion. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. 

In a skillet, sauté the red and yellow peppers in olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper over medium heat, until they're just softened (but not limp) and a little bit browned. Add the peppers to the stew pot and stir to combine. You can add a little more braising liquid at this point if you want to thin out the stew a bit. I only used 2 cups of braising liquid in my stew, and froze the rest for the next time I make soup or chilli. 

Putting it all together: check that the rice is done (the water is absorbed and the rice is tender) and mix the black beans into it. Spoon a serving of rice onto a plate and top it with a generous helping of the ropa vieja. I added plantain chips on the side (which I found at Bulk Barn) which are helpful for scooping up extra bits of meat and rice and add a nice bit of crunch. 

Enjoy! Make a mojito and crank up the thermostat - you'd swear you were in Havana.