Traditional Cuban ropa vieja: shredded beef in tomato, bell pepper and wine sauce

Ropa vieja means old clothes, and the name comes from the look of the meat shredded into long strands, like rags, mixed with the colorful peppers. Cuban legend says a poor man, with nothing to feed his family, cooked his own clothes while praying, and they turned into a stew.

The recipe actually comes from the Canary Islands, from where thousands of Spaniards emigrated to Cuba in the 18th and 19th centuries. There it is a way to use up leftovers from the boiled dinner; in Cuba it became the Sunday main course, made with freshly cooked meat and a careful sofrito, the base of almost all the island's food.

The ideal cut is flank or tri-tip, which cook into long fibers that are easy to shred. The cooking broth goes into the sauce, so nothing is wasted.

Recipe card

• Origin: Cuba, with roots in the Canary Islands
• Category: Main course, braised beef
• Difficulty: Easy
• Preparation time: 25 minutes
• Cooking time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg flank steak or tri-tip in two pieces
• 1 whole onion halved, 2 bay leaves and 1 carrot for the broth
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion in strips
• 1 red bell pepper in strips
• 1 green bell pepper in strips
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (400 g) chopped peeled tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 cup green olives (optional)
• 1 tablespoon capers (optional)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Chopped parsley to finish

Method

1. Cover the meat with water in a large pot, add the halved onion, bay leaves, carrot and salt and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours, until it shreds easily (45 minutes in a pressure cooker).
2. Remove the meat, let it cool a little and shred into long strips. Strain and reserve 2 cups of the broth.
3. In the same clean pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and peppers over medium heat for 8 minutes, until soft.
4. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano and paprika and sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add the wine and let the alcohol evaporate for 2 minutes.
6. Add the peeled tomatoes, the tomato paste and 1 cup of the reserved broth and cook for 10 minutes.
7. Add the shredded meat, olives and capers, mix well and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, adding more broth if it dries out.
8. Adjust salt and pepper, finish with parsley and serve with white rice, black beans and fried plantain.

Tips and variations

• The leftover broth becomes the base for Cuban black beans, the other dish of the same meal.
• Yesterday's pot roast, already cooked, cuts the recipe down to 40 minutes.
• In Costa Rica and Venezuela the same dish appears under different names with a touch of cilantro at the end.
• Leftovers make an empanada filling or a Cuban sandwich.
• For a thicker sauce, mash some of the tomato and cook uncovered at the end.
• Freezes well for 3 months, already in its sauce.
• Serve with avocado slices and Cuban or French bread for dipping.

A pot of ropa vieja bubbling with the smell of cumin and bell pepper is the picture of a Havana kitchen at noon. With rice, black beans and fried plantain, it is the complete Cuban meal.