This flavor-packed Ropa Vieja combines tender, slow-cooked melt-in your mouth chuck roast with onions, bell peppers, garlic, green olives, pimentos, and capers into a tasty tomato sauce seasoned with paprika and cumin.
Course main meal beef
Cuisine Cuban
Keyword cuban ropa vieja, how to make ropa vieja, ropa vieja recipe, what is ropa vieja
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 3 hourshours10 minutesminutes
Total Time 3 hourshours25 minutesminutes
Servings 8servings
Calories 397kcal
Author Beth Pierce
Ingredients
3lbschuck roast
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
2tablespoonsvegetable oil
1large yellow onion thinly sliced
3bell peppers seeded and thinly sliced
4clovesgarlic
2teaspoonsground cumin
1teaspoonsmoked paprika
1teaspoonsweet paprika
1teaspoondried oregano
¼teaspoonground allspice
½cupdry white wine
1cupchicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
114 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2tablespoonstomato paste
1carrot halved
1rib celery halved
2bay leaves
1cuppimento stuffed manzilla green olives
2tablespoonscapersdrained
14 ounce jar pimentos, drained
¼cupchopped cilantro
Instructions
Trim any large sections of fat from the chuck roast. Salt and pepper both sides of the roast.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on both sides and remove it to a plate.
If necessary, add a little more vegetable oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook until the onions are slightly browned on the edges and soft.
Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried oregano, and allspice. Cook for 1 minute while stirring continuously.
Add the wine and bring it to a boil while scraping to deglaze the bottom. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, carrot, celery, and bay leaves. Add the beef back to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours or until fork tender.
Remove the beef from the pot and use two forks to shred the beef removing any cartilage or large amounts of fat.
Remove the carrot, celery, and bay leaves and discard. Add the beef back to the pot over medium-low heat.
Add the olives, pimentos, and capers and cook over low heat until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.
Notes
You can make this recipe with flank steak, but it may require a longer simmering time to tenderize. I recommend that you go with chuck exactly for this reason.
Any colored bell pepper works with this recipe, but the red and orange bell peppers are sweeter.
If using a Dutch oven, instead of simmering, place the covered dish in the oven at 350 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours. The oven works even better, which is the advantage of a Dutch oven.
Slow cook until fork tender and easy to shred.
Remove the carrot, celery, and bay leaves and discard.
Drain the olives, pimentos, and capers before adding them.
Enjoy this tasty recipe with Cuban black beans and rice.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop on low.
To freeze first cool completely. Then place in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.