Ropa Vieja

Ropa vieja is Spanish for “old clothes”; presumably the shredded beef in this traditional Cuban dish reminded people of rags. It makes a good filling for burritos or tacos.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15 min + 15 min   Cook Time: 2 hrs + 30 min  

Ingredients

1.5 lbs beef round, well trimmed
1/2 cup water
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 med. onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies
3 med. tomatoes, chopped (or 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes)
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1/2” squares
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Directions

Cut beef into 1-1/2” pieces. Heat beef, water, salt, pepper, and bay leaf to boiling in Dutch oven; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours. Add water if necessary.

You can make it up to this point in a Crockpot. Increase water to 1 cup and cook on high for 5-6 hours. You can also make it ahead to this point and refrigerate to finish the next day.

Remove beef from broth (retaining broth) and let cool. Meanwhile, cook onions and garlic in oil, stirring, until onions are tender. Pull beef apart into shreds. Stir beef, onions, garlic, chilies, and remaining ingredients into broth. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Serving suggestion: Serve with Cuban black beans or on crusty rolls.

Per Serving: 220 Calories; 8g Fat (33.4% calories from fat); 27g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 66mg Cholesterol; 1005mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Categories: Beef, Crock Pot, Diabetic, Low-Fat, Main Dish, Non-Dairy

Submitted by: whaledancer on May 3, 2010