Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja is a traditional Spanish dish that is especially popular in the Caribbean.  It literally translates to "old clothes", which I'll admit doesn't sound that appetizing.  It got the name because of the consistency of the shredded beef.  I think it is pretty similar to pulled pork.

I used the crock pot or slow cooker to make mine.  That way you could start it in the morning before work, and then come home to a house smelling delicious with dinner ready to go!  You will start by adding a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, 3 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 1.5 tsp of ground cumin to your crock pot at the "low" setting.

Next cut a red & green bell pepper into 1/2 inch pieces.  Be sure to remove the ribs and seeds from the peppers.

Slice a small onion into thin strips and add that, along with your peppers, to the crock pot.  Stir everything together to coat. And then place 1.5 lbs of beef in the bottom underneath all the vegetables.  It is traditional to use flank steak, skirt steak, or hanger steak.  But really, any decent cut of beef with be really tender after 8 hours in the slow cooker.

This is a set-it-and-forget-it dish.  So leave it the heck alone!  It should bubble and simmer away all day long while you busy yourself with something else.  When you take the lid off after 8 hours, here's what you'll be looking at:

Carefully remove the beef from the liquid and transfer to a plate or cutting board.  It will be falling apart it's so tender, so you may need to use a slotted spoon.  Then pull it apart with a fork until it is shredded like this:

Toss it back in to the liquid and stir to coat.  Next add a small can of olives along with 1 tbsp of the brine from the can.

Serve this over rice.  Since I'm an American after all, I added a nice dollop of sour cream to the top.

You really can't mess this one up.  The crock pot does all the work for you.  And the house smelled really great.  I think this could be a big hit next time you have company over.  Give it a shot.  Serve it with some chips & homemade guacamole and margaritas and you've got yourself a little fiesta.