This traditional Cuban dish meaning, “Old Clothes” is also back by popular demand and it consists mainly of shredded beef… It is one of Josh’s (the Huz) favorite meals in the whole world. This is my version of it…. I say this because I have added a few ingredients that I haven’t seen in any other recipes (including one that I have not shared with anyone until this day, and you will know why when I share it… but it really makes the dish) If you like things savory, spicy, and slightly sweet, then you will like this recipe. Also, if you don’t eat beef or desire something lighter try it with chicken instead!
It takes very little time to prepare, but needs a lot of time to cook so make sure you can be home for it OR put it in the good old crock pot (I have not tried this, but I’ve done it with other similar dishes so I’m sure it will work).
You will need:
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 lbs flank steak
1 green bell pepper diced (quick tip on this to follow)
2 medium sized onions diced
2 poblano peppers diced
1 jalapeño (seed half of it and dice it)
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
¾ tsp chipotle chili powder
3 tbs brown sugar
1 ½ cups dry white wine
1 32 oz container of beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
4 oz tomato paste
½ cup green olives halved
aaaaaand drum roll please for the embarrassing secret ingredient………
½ cup of ketchup!!!
First prep your veggies. I prefer to dice the veggies, but a lot of recipes call for strips to match the long shreds of meat. Either work great, I just find that less of the pepper and onion skins separate from the veggies and the dish becomes less stringy this way.
Chop garlic, onion, and peppers (for the jalapeños: the seeds and ribs are where all the heat is stored, so I always use half of them in this dish. If you like things really spicy you can use the whole thing!) Place chopped veggies in a bowl and set aside.
Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat and coat pan with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to both sides of the flank steak. Add steak to pot; you should hear a sizzle. If the steak is too big to fit comfortably on the bottom of the pan and is climbing up the sides a bit, not to worry, it will start to shrink down as you sear it. After about 4 minutes on the first side, flip the steak. You want to get a good sear on the meat, so make sure you see some browning before you flip it.
Once both sides have browned, remove the steak and set aside (I used a regular dinner plate to rest it on). Add entire bowl of veggies, and some salt and pepper to the stock pot and let cook for about 7 minutes or until they have begun to wilt down.
Add cumin, oregano, chipotle powder, and brown sugar. Let cook for another 3 minutes or so, stirring frequently. Add white wine, being sure to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add beef broth, canned tomatoes, and bay leaf bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.
Add tomato paste.
Add Cilantro. For the cilantro I usually use it fresh in salads and salsas, but find this little tube that I keep in my fridge much more practical for soups, stews, and sauces. This is a huge money saver for me, especially when using something like cilantro, which ends up wilting before the next time I come around to using it. You can find it in the produce aisle and it costs about 3 dollars for the equivalent of 3 bunches of chopped cilantro. I usually buy this and the ginger one. I love these little gems.
Now its time to face the facts that you are about to put ketchup into your precious Ropa Vieja. I know it sounds strange but let’s just put it this way… I tried to leave it out this time so I didn’t have to blog about it and the first thing Josh said when he tried it was, “It’s great (bless him) but usually yours has this kind of sweet tang that makes it my favorite”…… Well darn it all to HECK. So I added it and decided to share it. HALF of a cup people. Stir all of this together and add back in the steak.
Once the mixture begins to bubble slightly (and I mean slightly, once your meat re-enters the pot you NEVER want it to boil or you will have tough meat) , reduce to very low and cover. Cook covered for about 2 hours, being very sure NOT to boil the mixture. After about 2 hours uncover and raise heat just slightly to keep it at a low simmer, add green olives and cook uncovered for another hour or so. Stir every so often
With a pair of tongs check the meat. It should be separating a bit just by you pulling it out. If that is the case its time to remove the steak again, let it sit for a few minutes, and shred it.
Using two forks, pull the meat apart leaving tiny little shreds, hence the name “Old Clothes”
Once you have shredded the whole thing return it to the pot.
Stir to incorporate and serve with beans, rice, and if you’re feeling festive……..some COTIJA CORN
CONDENSED… (well sort of)
You will need:
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
2 lbs flank steak
1 green bell pepper diced (quick tip on this to follow)
2 medium sized onions diced
2 poblano peppers diced
1 jalapeño (seed half of it and dice it)
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
¾ tsp chipotle chili powder
3 tbs brown sugar
1 ½ cups dry white wine
1 32 oz container of beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
4 oz tomato paste
½ cup green olives halved
aaaaaand drum roll please for the embarrassing secret ingredient………
½ cup of ketchup!!!
First prep your veggies. I prefer to dice the veggies, but a lot of recipes call for strips to match the long shreds of meat. Either work great, I just find that less of the pepper and onion skins separate from the veggies and the dish becomes less stringy this way.
Chop garlic, onion, and peppers (for the jalapeños: the seeds and ribs are where all the heat is stored, so I always use half of them in this dish. If you like things really spicy you can use the whole thing!) Place chopped veggies in a bowl and set aside.
Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat and coat pan with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to both sides of the flank steak. Add steak to pot; you should hear a sizzle. If the steak is too big to fit comfortably on the bottom of the pan and is climbing up the sides a bit, not to worry, it will start to shrink down as you sear it. After about 4 minutes on the first side, flip the steak. You want to get a good sear on the meat, so make sure you see some browning before you flip it.
Once both sides have browned, remove the steak and set aside (I used a regular dinner plate to rest it on). Add entire bowl of veggies, and some salt and pepper to the stock pot and let cook for about 7 minutes or until they have begun to wilt down.
Add cumin, oregano, chipotle powder, and brown sugar. Let cook for another 3 minutes or so, stirring frequently. Add white wine, being sure to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add beef broth, canned tomatoes, and bay leaf bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.
Add tomato paste and Cilantro. For the cilantro I usually use it fresh in salads and salsas, but find this little tube that I keep in my fridge much more practical for soups, stews, and sauces. This is a huge money saver for me, especially when using something like cilantro, which ends up wilting before the next time I come around to using it. You can find it in the produce aisle and it costs about 3 dollars for the equivalent of 3 bunches of chopped cilantro. I usually buy this and the ginger one. I love these little gems.
Now its time to face the facts that you are about to put ketchup into your precious Ropa Vieja. I know it sounds strange but let’s just put it this way… I tried to leave it out this time so I didn’t have to blog about it and the first thing Josh said when he tried it was, “It’s great (bless him) but usually yours has this kind of sweet tang that makes it my favorite”…… Well darn it all to HECK. So I added it and decided to share it. HALF of a cup people. Stir all of this together and add back in the steak.
Once the mixture begins to bubble slightly (and I mean slightly, once your meat re-enters the pot you NEVER want it to boil or you will have tough meat) , reduce to very low and cover. Cook covered for about 2 hours, being very sure NOT to boil the mixture. After about 2 hours uncover and raise heat just slightly to keep it at a low simmer, add green olives and cook uncovered for another hour or so. Stir every so often
With a pair of tongs check the meat. It should be separating a bit just by you pulling it out. If that is the case its time to remove the steak again, let it sit for a few minutes, and shred it.
Using two forks, pull the meat apart leaving tiny little shreds, hence the name “Old Clothes”
Once you have shredded the whole thing return it to the pot.
Stir to incorporate and serve with beans, rice, and if you’re feeling festive……..some COTIJA CORN