Ropa Vieja

Serves 6 white folks (or 4 Cubans)

For cooking the meat:

2 1/2 pounds of flank steak

Goya adobo seasoning with pepper

1 bay leaf 

1 onion, peeled & quartered

1 carrot, cut into 3-4 large chunks

1 tomato, quartered

2 cloves garlic, smashed

For finishing the dish:

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and sliced thin

1/2 red pepper, sliced thin

1 green pepper, sliced thin

1/4 onion, minced (for sofrito)

1/4 green pepper, minced (for sofrito)

4 garlic cloves minced (for sofrito)

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro (for sofrito)

1 tomato, seeded & chopped (for sofrito)

3 Tbsp white (or red) wine

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 Tbsp tomato paste (optional)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 beef bouillon cube

1/2 to 1 packet Goya Sazon seasoning

2-4 Tbsp Olives stuffed with pimenton, sliced

chopped cilantro for garnish

white rice

1.  Season the steak with the adobo & let sit for up to an hour.

2. Put the steak, bay leaf, onion, carrot, tomato, and garlic into a pot with enough water to cover the steak.  Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer uncovered for as long as it takes (about 2-4 hrs) until the meat easily shreds.  Remove any scum that comes to the top of the water.  You might need to add more water if it the pot dries out.  Once done, remove from heat and let the meat cool for about 20 minutes in the liquid, then remove the meat onto a plate.  Strain the broth, toss out the veggies, and reserve the broth.  When the meat cools down, shred it.

3.  Heat olive oil in a saute pan.  Add sliced onion & peppers.  Cook for a few minutes, then add in the sofrito ingredients.  Cook a few more minutes.  Add the wine, cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomato paste & tomato sauce, cumin, and shredded meat.  Add the bouillon cube, plus enough of the reserved beef broth (from the pot) to make it slightly soupy.  Simmer for a few minutes, and use the sazon to season to taste.  Add salt & pepper & cumin if needed, (but be careful with salt bc the sazon, adobo and bouillon are already really salty.)  Continue to simmer, adjust seasoning, and adding broth if needed until it's the right consistency.  Add the olives & cilantro.