Recipe: Ropa Vieja (using skirt steak, Cuban)

ROPA VIEJA

"This and the Vaca Frita are mainstays of the Cuban-American diet. Both are made with skirt steak, a stingy cut of meat with the poetic name of fajita (girdle) in Spanish. Skirt steak can be found at Hispanic markets, Jewish butcher shops, and at an increasing number of supermarkets. Flank steak makes an acceptable substitute. Both recipes call for the meat to be boiled with aromatic vegetables. The resulting broth makes a fabulous soup--simply add cooked noodles or rice. Ropa vieja--literally means "old clothes," and is an apt description of the shredded appearance of the meat. It is traditionally served with white rice and fried plantains."

1 1/2 pounds skirt-steak
1 small onion, quartered
1 tomato, quartered
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled

TO FINISH THE DISH:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
1/3 cup tomato puree
3 tablespoons dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine the beef, quartered onion, tomato, carrot, and garlic cloves with 6 cups of water in a large pot. Bring to a boil over a high heat. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer the beef, uncovered, skimming often, until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

Strain the meat, reserving the broth for soup. Let the meat cool. Tear it, along the grain, into pencil-thick strips.

Heat the oil in a large nonreactive frying pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, sliced onion, and bell peppers and cook until soft but not brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in the meat, cumin, tomato puree, wine, and salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is well coated with the sauce and the sauce is reduced and flavorful, about 5 minutes. Correct the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Miami Spice by Steven Raichlen