Crock-Pot Comfort Food Cuban Style

Ideal was a lovely and authentic Cuban Restaurant located on the Upper West Side. It was there I fell in love with a dish called ropa vieja- the literal translation is  "old clothes".

With a windchill near zero and snow on the ground, I decided  it was the perfect day to pull out my crock-pot and make ropa vieja. The recipe I chose to adapte is from Eva Longoria's eva's kitchen. Ropa veija is especially delicious when served with white rice, black beans and sweet plantains.

    

Crock-Pot Comfort Food Cuban Style

adapted from

eva's kitchen

Eva Longoria

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds beef flank steak

2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 tablespoons olive oil or as needed

2 cups beef broth

2 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce

2 6-ounce cans or tomato paste

2 tablespoons distilled vinegar

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 large yellow or white onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into 1/2' strips

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into 1/2" strips

1 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1. Rub the steak on both sides with 3 tablespoons of the cumin. In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmery and hot, but not smoking.Add the flank steak and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a large crock-pot.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, salt, the remaining 3 tablespoons of cumin and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir well until blended. Pour the tomato mixture over the meat in the crock-pot.

3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for up to 10 hours. The meat is ready when it falls apart when pierced with a fork. Remove the meat from the sauce and use two forks to pull apart the meat, shredding into strings. Return the shredded meat to the sauce and let it stand for 15 minutes. Serve with sauce spooned over the meat.

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