Cuban-Style Flank Steak and Pepper Stew

Serves 6

This is my version of a classic Cuban stew, made by combining slow-cooked flank steak with long-simmered peppers, onions, and tomato. The original dish is called ropa vieja, or “old clothes,” because the shredded meat and sliced vegetables suggest tattered rags. Most ropa vieja recipes stew the steak with onions and peppers in simmering water, but canned chicken broth ups the flavor ante considerably. There are many ways to make this stew—some recipes use capers, some add red wine, and so on. Many leave out the tomato, but I love the way it tangs up the whole thing. Every cook seems to have his or her own ropa vieja secret. Here’s mine: For a little spice and heat, I add ground cumin to the beef’s cooking liquid and, at the last-minute, Tabasco sauce to the pepper and onion stew.

 

8 tablespoons olive oil

3 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into 6 pieces

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 large Spanish onions, 1 peeled and cut into large dice, 2 peeled, halved, and sliced

3 bell peppers (green, red, or a combination) seeded, 1 cut into large dice, 2 sliced lengthwise

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

About 1 quart store-bought reduced-sodium chicken broth, homemade Chicken Stock, or water

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Pinch of ground cumin

3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1¹/₂ cups canned crushed tomatoes with their liquid

¹/₂ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

 

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over high heat until hot but not smoking. Season the flank steak with salt and pepper. Add half of the steak to the pan and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside. Repeat using 2 more tablespoons oil and the remaining steak, transferring the browned meat to the plate.

2. Add 2 more tablespoons of the olive oil to the pot and heat over high heat. Add the diced onion and pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until they just begin to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir, scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pot. Pour in the broth and let it come to a boil over high heat. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and cumin, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Return the steak to the pot. If the liquid does not come up to the top of the steak, add just enough broth or water so that it does (but do not drown the steak; you want the topmost piece just barely submerged).

4. When the liquid returns to a boil, cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer until the meat is fork tender, about 2¹/₂ hours. Remove the pot from the heat and let the meat cool in the liquid for 30 minutes.

5. Transfer the meat to a plate. Strain the liquid and discard the solids. Let the liquid rest for 5 minutes, then spoon off and discard any fat that rises to the surface. Shred the meat by hand, pulling off and discarding any remaining fat. The meat and liquid can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated separately overnight. Let come to room temperature before proceeding.

6. Wipe out the pot, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and heat over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions and peppers and the garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers are very soft, but not browned, about 20 minutes.

7. Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir for 2 minutes to coat the other ingredients. Add the tomatoes and 6 cups of the reserved beef cooking liquid and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Then lower the heat and let the liquid simmer until slightly thickened and richly flavored, about 15 minutes. Return the meat to the pot and stir it into the stew. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. If not serving immediately, let cool, cover, and refrigerate for a few days or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat before proceeding.

8. To serve, divide the stew among 6 plates.