Ropa Vieja (aka Cuban Style Shredded Beef) & Cuban Black Beans

When I saw Kevin’s recipe for Ropa Vieja on his Closet Cooking blog, I knew I wanted to try just for a different version of shredded beef.  I amended the recipe for the additional beef that I had and I made it the day before to give the flavors more time to marry.  I also changed the directions to reflect use of my slow cooker.  You can get the original recipe by clicking on the above link. 

Cuban Style Shredded Beef – Adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 pounds beef (choice London Broil)

1large onion, thinly sliced

1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 large yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, chopped

2½ tablespoons tomato paste

2½ teaspoons ground cumin

4 teaspoons sweet paprika

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2½ cups beef broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2½ teaspoons oregano

3 bay leaves

1¼ cup green olives (optionally sliced)

3 tablespoons capers

1½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lime juice)

salt and pepper to taste

2½ tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Remove any fat from the beef and cut each piece into thirds.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the beef and brown on all sides before setting aside.

3. Add the onion, and bell peppers to the pan and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes. (Add more olive oil if needed.)

4. Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, paprika, allspice, and cloves, and cook until fragrant, about a minute, mixing it in as it cooks.

5. Add the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, oregano, and bay leaves, and mix.

6. Add a quarter of the mixture to a slow cooker, add the beef, then the remaining mixture from the skillet.

7. Cook on low until beef is very tender and easy to shred.

8. Remove the beef from the pot, shred and mix back in, along with the olives,  capers, and vinegar and cook for 15 minutes.

9. Taste and season with salt and pepper then mix in the cilantro.

Enjoy now or store in a cool place overnight for flavors to marry more.

To reheat, return to slow cooker base on low setting and heat until warmed through.

The black beans recipe came from A Couple Cooks.

Cuban Black Beans

Ingredients:

1½ cups minced sweet yellow onion (about 1 large onion)

1/2 green bell pepper 

1/4 jalapeno pepper

6 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons salted butter (substitute additional olive oil for vegan)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 15-ounce cans black beans 

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

1¼ teaspoons kosher salt

1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

1. Mince the onion and mince the pepper (chop them into a small dice). Mince the garlic.

2. Use a strainer to drain the black beans over a glass measuring cup, reserving the can liquid. (No need to rinse.)

3. In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Once melted, add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are translucent and lightly browned.

4.Add the beans, cumin, oregano, and kosher salt and stir to combine.

5. Add ½ cup of the liquid from the black beans. Simmer 15 minutes until beans are tender.

6. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

The Verdict:

We all thought the beef was very good and we look forward to turning the leftovers into burritos and such. I enjoyed the beans but the others prefer other types of beans.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry