Cuban Ropa Vieja (Ropa Vieja) — Shredded Beef in Tomato-Pepper Sauce

• 1.1 kgflank steak
• 1.5 lwater
• 1yellow onion (quartered)
• 1green bell pepper (halved and seeded)
• 3 clovegarlic (crushed)
• 2 leafbay leaves
• 1 tspblack peppercorns
• 2 tspkosher salt
• 3 tbspolive oil
• 2yellow onions (thinly sliced)
• 1red bell pepper (thinly sliced)
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1.5 tspdried oregano
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1 cancanned tomato sauce (425 g can)
• 180 mldry white wine
• 360 mlreserved beef cooking broth
• 70 gpimiento-stuffed green olives (halved)
• 1 tbspcapers (drained)
• 1 tbspwhite vinegar
• 1 tspgranulated sugar
• 0.5 tspground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the flank steak in a heavy pot with the water, quartered onion, halved green bell pepper, crushed garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 2 tsp kosher salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat so the liquid barely simmers.

2. 2

   Cover the pot partly and simmer the beef for about 2 hours, turning it once halfway through cooking. The meat is ready when a fork slides in easily and the fibers separate with light pressure, but it should not be boiled hard or it will tighten.

3. 3

   Transfer the beef to a plate and strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve. Reserve 360 ml of the broth for the sauce, and save any extra broth for rice, beans, or another soup.

4. 4

   When the beef is cool enough to handle, shred it along the grain into long, rope-like strands using two forks or your fingers. Discard large pieces of fat or connective tissue, but keep the strands irregular because that texture is characteristic of ropa vieja.

5. 5

   Heat the olive oil in a wide Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the vegetables are soft, glossy, and beginning to sweeten without browning heavily.

6. 6

   Stir in the minced garlic, cumin, oregano, tomato paste, 0.5 tsp kosher salt, and ground black pepper, and cook for 2 minutes to bloom the spices and deepen the tomato flavor. Add the tomato sauce, white wine, reserved beef broth, olives, capers, vinegar, and sugar, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

7. 7

   Fold the shredded beef into the sauce and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beef has absorbed the sauce and the mixture is moist but not soupy.

8. 8

   Rest the ropa vieja off the heat for 10 minutes before serving so the strands settle into the sauce. Serve hot with white rice, black beans, and fried sweet plantains for a classic Cuban plate.