Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef)

Cuba''s national dish — flank steak braised and shredded in a pepper-tomato sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs flank steak
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 bell peppers (red and green), sliced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup green olives
• 2 tbsp capers
• Bay leaves, salt, pepper

Method

1. Simmer flank steak in salted water with bay leaves 1.5 hours until tender. Remove, shred with forks.

2. Sauté onion and peppers 5 min. Add garlic, cumin, paprika — 1 min.

3. Add tomatoes, wine, olives, capers. Simmer 10 min.

4. Add shredded beef. Simmer 20 min until sauce thickens and flavors meld.

5. Serve over white rice with black beans and fried plantains.

What You're Practicing

• ''Ropa vieja'' means ''old clothes'' — the shredded beef resembles tattered fabric.
• The olives and capers add a briny, Mediterranean influence from Cuba''s Spanish heritage.