A New Stew: Ropa Vieja

I love being in the season of soups as this means I get delicious leftovers for lunch. I have a bunch of favorites on the normal rotation -- chicken noodle soup, chili, lentil soup in various forms, stew, etc, but I'm constantly looking for new ideas so that we don't get sick of the favorites.

I don't know Cuban food at all, but this soup caught my eye. It uses a lot of ingredients and flavors that I often cook with, but creates a totally different taste than I'm used to. I really like the versatility of it too -- easing up on the broth would lead to a tender filling for tacos or burritos, or serve over rice the next day. I made some adjustments to the original recipe since I'm not a fan of olives, so technically this probably isn't a Ropa Vieja, but that's the fun part of cooking, making things your own. I love black beans and thought that was a good fit so added those in too.

Ropa Vieja (based on recipe in Cooking Light's Cook Smart Eat Well)
2 1-lb flank steaks, trimmed
3c sliced red onion
2c red bell pepper strips
2c green bell pepper strips
4 garlic cloves, minced
salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
black pepper
6 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1 can black beans
3c beef broth (fat-free, less-sodium if possible)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves 1/2 chopped fresh cilantro

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add a little oil or cooking spray. Add 1 steak to the pan, cook for 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove the steak and repeat with the other steak.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic to the pan and cook for 7 minutes or until tender, stirring often.


Stir in the next 5 seasonings, cook for 30 seconds and then stir in the vinegar, stirring to loosen brown bits; cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid almost evaporates. Add the steaks and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the steaks are very tender. Remove bay leaves.

Remove the steaks from the pan and shred with 2 forks.


Add shredded beef and cilantro to the pan, stir to mix. Serve with fresh tortillas or over rice.

Results: This was very straightforward to make and although it has to cook for a while, it's perfect for me to prep on my lunch break and then simmer several hours before Dave gets home. I like the different flavors, definitely still mild so of course I added crushed red pepper flakes, but it was a nice change to the beef stews I usually make. It also kept well and was tasty for lunch the following few days.