I attempted to make a real Sunday dinner (i.e., took longer than two hours to prepare). I found this recipe for Ropa Vieja on Slashfood and pretended like it would be easy. And it wasn't terribly difficult but took quite awhile. And no, this isn't a Funfetti cupcake, it's raw meat and various spices/veggies in a pot.
I used onions from my dad's garden. They made me cry like I was watching The Notebook.
The final product (ta-daaaaaah!)
If you didn't notice, I got a little lazy and made boxed couscous instead of the suggested rice and beans.
All in all, it was quite tasty. I'm thinking about converting the leftovers to something like a fajita or taco tonight (yum!).
Ropa Vieja
(credit: The Skinny Chef)
Serves 4
Ingredients
2-pound piece of flank steak
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped and separated into 2 parts
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 small green bell peppers, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 26-ounce can chopped tomatoes
Instructions
In a large stockpot, add the flank steak, onions, carrot, celery, bay leaf and peppercorns. Add water just to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for about 1 1/2 hours until the beef shreds easily when pressed with a fork.
When the meat is very tender, turn off heat and let cool in liquid for 20 minutes, before removing from broth. Strain the broth into a small bowl and discard the vegetables. Set aside.
Make the sauce. Heat the oil over medium heat, add the minced onion, pepper and garlic. Sprinkle in the salt. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the tomato paste, cumin and oregano, cooking one minute more, until the tomato paste becomes fragrant.
Stir in the meat broth and simmer 2 to 3 minutes until the broth reduces slightly. Add the tomatoes and shredded meat. Cook 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered until the liquid reduces by half. Serve with rice and black beans.
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