American, Cuisine

Ropa Vieja Recipe

A marriage between tasty vegetables, spices and flank steak. A very special Cuban beef delicacy slow-cooked to perfection! On popular request, we have come up with the most authentic Ropa Vieja recipe out there.

The old-fashioned Ropa Vieja Cuban style is quite popular out there. This incredibly rich and tasty beef dish can surely be paired with a hot bowl of rice and definitely qualifies for a wholesome meal.

Ropa Vieja Recipe – An Irresistible Beef Delicacy!

Looking for the traditional recipe of Ropa Vieja Cubana style? Well, you have surely come to the right food page, from all the ingredients used to the cooking details, we have gathered it all here.

Ropa Vieja Ingredients List

Vegetable oil for cooking
1-2 Flank Steak, Cut Into Halves
2-3 Onions, sliced
5-6 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1-2 Cups of Beef or Chicken Stock
1 Cups of Canned Tomato Puree
½ cup of Tomato paste
2-3 mix of Red and Yellow Bell peppers, sliced
¼ cup of white wine
1 tsp of Allspice powder
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. Ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. of ground clove
Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
2-3 Bay Leaves
Salt and pepper as per taste

What Is Ropa Vieja? Recipe In Details

To begin the Ropa Vieja Recipe, in a big pot cooker, first, heat some vegetable oil and cook your flank steak. Don’t forget to season your steak cuts with a generous dash of salt and pepper. Since we will be cooking the steak again in the gravy, just brown the beef pieces from both sides.
Now, take the flank steak pieces out of the pot and keep them aside. In the same pot, add the sliced pieces of onion and bell peppers. Sauté for a few minutes and then add the chopped garlic cloves.
Deglaze your pot with some white wine and mix everything together. If you want, you can also add a bit of chopped-up olives here. Next, add paprika, cumin powder, clove powder, dried oregano, and allspice powder to the pot.
Sauté for a while and then dunk in the tomato paste and let it cook for another few minutes. Once a bit of oil is released from the spices, pour in the beef or chicken stock.

Mix everything together and let this simmer for about 2-3 minutes. Later on, add the tomato puree to the pot and mix again. Adjust the taste of your Cuban gravy, and add salt and pepper according to your liking.
Lastly, add your flank steak pieces back into the pot. Drop in the bay leaves, then cover the pot and let it simmer for at least 2 hours. You can also make this dish in the oven.
To make Ropa Vieja in the oven, put your oven pot into the oven at 300 degrees for at least two and a half hours. Once your gravy is cooked properly, take the flank steak pieces out of the gravy and use a fork to finely shred it.
Now, add the shredded beef back into the gravy and let it simmer for another 10 to 20 minutes. Garnish this scrumptious Cuban beef stew with some freshly chopped cilantro. Serve this hot with a plate of steamed rice. To get some crunch, you can also keep some fryums on the side.

Key Takeaways

You should surely try out the above Ropa Vieja recipe this year, it is perfect for cold winter nights. Ropa vieja food dish is mainly consumed in and around Spain, Latin America and the Philippines. The above recipe is surely our version of Ropa Vieja, but you can always play around with spices. This Cuban beef stew tastes the best when made with fresh tomato puree. This delicious beef stew can also be paired with any bread of your choice.

Many people also think that if you keep Ropa Vieja in the fridge overnight and consume it the next day, then you can get an even better taste from this dish. Your shredded beef should get properly infused in the flavorful Cuban gravy. Ropa Vieja is a perfect main course dish for casual get-togethers, party dinners and giant feasts. In case you are making it for kids, definitely keep a check on the spices used in the dish.