Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja (Recipe 19 of 150)

Ropa Vieja is not a new recipe for me. I've made it a couple of times and then repeated one of the recipes a couple of times. You can find the other recipes here and here. By far my favorite is the one from Cook's Country. 

In case you haven't read my blog every day here's what I wrote about what Ropa Vieja is. 

The story behind Ropa Vieja goes something like this:
A man, too broke to afford meat for his family, stirred some old clothes (ropa vieja in Spanish) into a pot of broth. He then prayed over the pot and later, after some devine assistance, ladled out a rich stew of beef and vegetables.

This recipe is a solid, good recip. Easy for sure. Flavorful and filling. I, of course, don't put green peppers in my ropa vieja, but by all means, you should if you like them. Blech. 

I serve mine over rice, but you could easily just eat it plain or with a tortilla. Truly though, if you want to try Ropa Vieja, make the Cook's Country version linked here.

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

Recipe from Spicysouthernkitchen.com

Serves 6

• 3 T vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced into 1/2-inch wide strips
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 c tomato paste
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• 2 T soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
• 1/2 c water
• 1 (2-pound) flank steak
• 1 T distilled white vinegar
• 3/4 c green olives with pimentos
• cilantro and rice for serving

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onion and peppers and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add garlic and cook one more minute.

Add tomato paste, cumin, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir the tomato paste into the onion and peppers and cook for 1 minute.

Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.

Add soy sauce, bay leaves, chicken bouillon, and water to the slow cooker.

Season the flank steak with salt and pepper and add it to the slow cooker. Spoon some of the tomato mixture on top of it.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours.

Discard bay leaves. Shred meat with 2 forks. Stir in vinegar and olives. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired.