Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja (Recipe 137 of 150)

Whoa. It's been over a month since I made a new recipe. I think that's the longest I've gone in several years without making something new. There are a lot of reasons and you can find out by hopping over to the other blog for more details. 

Ropa Vieja! It's a Cuban recipe and it's so delicious. I never order at a Cuban restaurant because they use bell peppers in it and, well, blech. I've made it a couple of times too. Here is the most recent this year. And then again in 2017. Then one other time in 2011. All of them are slightly different, but all of them are basically stewed meat. 

This one was good. Flank steak was WAY too expensive to use so I bought a tritip roast which was, surprisingly, about $10 less than the flank steak. I think you could use a chuck roast for this and get just as good results. You might want to cut it into chunks though to allow more flavor into the meat. I cut the tritip in half. 

I didn't buy capers for this either. Capers are expensive little buggers and for a tablespoon of them I just didn't think it was necessary. 

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Serves 6

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, cut into thick slices
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick slices
• 3 large cloves garlic, cut into thin slices
• 1 jalapeno (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired), cut into thin slices
• 1 T whole cumin seeds
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c small Spanish olives
• 1 T capers, drained, plus 1 tablespoon brine
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
• Cooked white rice and plantain chips, for serving

Preheat a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Season steak generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high. Add steak and cook until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin seeds; season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Pour mixture over steak in slow cooker; cover and cook on high until very tender, 5 hours (or on low 10 hours).

Transfer steak to a platter; cut in half crosswise. Using two forks, shred meat. Transfer sauce to skillet; cook over high heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in shredded meat, olives, and capers with brine; cook just until heated through, 2 minutes more. Top with cilantro and serve, with rice and plantain chips.