Recipe: Ropa Vieja with Olives - Three different versions for Brandy.

ROPA VIEJA
Makes 8 generous portions

3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
2 medium onions
1/2 green pepper, seeded
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 lbs. flank steak
1 cup golden cooking wine
15 Spanish olives, stuffed w/pimientos
1 oz. pimientos
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Boil flank at medium heat until very tender (about 2 hours). Remove fat. Separate beef into strips and set aside.

In blender or food processor, pur e onion and green pepper together (add 1 or 2 Tbsp. of water if necessary). Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high. Add the garlic cloves and saut until browned. Add the onion/pepper mixture to the oil, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes until the sauce is a deep, rich red.

Add shredded beef to the skillet, cooking until lightly browned. Add the wine, olives and pimientos. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Serve over white rice.

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ROPA VIEJA
Servings: 8

This traditional Cuban dish, named for its resemblance to "old clothes," combines fork-tender, shredded beef brisket with olives, sweet raisins, delicate peas and an assortment of red, green and yellow bell pepper strips. Wonderful served a day after preparation, which allows time for all of the flavors to meld together. Pair with flour tortillas or plain rice for a simple, yet delicious meal.

3 lb beef brisket
3 tbsp olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
4 cups water
3 dried bay leaves
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp cumin powder
1 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup olives, sliced (Kalamata, Manzanilla or your favorite)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Place a large roasting pan over a stove top burner on high heat and warm the pan. Add the olive oil. When you see smoke rising from the pan, add the brisket and sear on both sides. Allow the brisket time on each side to become well browned.

Remove brisket from the pan onto a plate. Turn the flame to medium. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saut for 1 minute. (Add additional olive oil if needed to saut .)

Add the onions, celery and carrots, and saut until they begin to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the peppers and turn the heat back to high. Saut for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, bay leaves, oregano and cumin. Stir all the ingredients together and bring to a boil.

Add the brisket back into the pan (include any drippings that have accumulated on the plate). Bring back to a boil and cover. Place in the preheated oven and allow the Ropa to simmer (not boil) for approximately 2 hours (or until fork tender), turning the meat every 1/2 hour. When the meat is fork tender, remove to a plate to cool.

Add the raisins, olives and peas to the sauce and stir.

After the meat has cooled enough to touch, shred it with your hands and put it back in the pan with all the sauce.

To serve, bring the Ropa back to a boil and serve hot.

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CUBAN MEAT STEW (ROPA VIEJA)
From a Goya cookbook--Best of the Americas-Caribbean.
Servings: 6-8

This meat stew is delicious and easy. A nice change of pace, and it makes the house smell so good. Serve with rice and a salad, or crusty bread.

2 1/2 lbs flank steak, cut in 4x5-inch strips
all purpose adobo seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups finely diced onions
1 1/2 cups finely diced green peppers
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (8 ounce) can Spanish style tomato sauce (such as Goya)
1 (6 ounce) jar sofrito sauce (such as Goya)
3 cups water
1 packet sazon with coriander and annatto (again, such as Goya)
1 packet beef bouillon (I used about 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Beef Base)
1 ounce capers, rinsed
10 large green pimento-stuffed olives, sliced

Season steak with Adobo.

In large skillet, heat oil on medium high, brown meat on both sides, remove and keep warm.

Lower heat to medium, add garlic, onion and green pepper, cook-stirring often for about 10 minutes.

Stir in black pepper and tomato sauce and cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the sofrito, water, sazon and bouillon and bring to a boil. Return the meat to the pan, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring it occasionally.

Add in the capers and olives, continue to simmer covered, until the meat is tender and shreds easily.

This should take about 1-1/2 hours. You can add more water 1/4 cup at a time if the sauce gets too dry.

To serve, shred the meat with 2 forks and mix back into sauce.