Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Cuban Ropa Vieja

I am joining Dining with Debbie for Crockpot Wednesday today!
This is a super easy crockpot recipe that has made it into the "keepers file" of loose recipes. Well, now it has a home in a plastic sleeve in the notebook.




This recipe states it serves 4. Time to put together is 15 minutes. Total cook time is 8 to 10 hours on Low in Crock Pot. What could be simpler........

Ropa Vieja means “Old Clothes” in Spanish. This dish is so named because the shredded beef resembled clothes so worn... they fall apart.



Here's what you'll need........

2 peppers, seeded and sliced

1 cup sliced onions

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

¼ cup tomato paste

1 Tbsp. each Olive oil, cider vinegar, minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon saat

1 ½ pounds boneless chuck steak

1/3 cup pimento stuffed olives and 2 Tbsp. capers



Mix all ingredients except steak, olives and peppers in a slow cooker. Top with steak.


Turn steak over to coat with mixture.




Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until steak is very tender.



To save myself time in the morning I had the non-refrigerated ingredients set out on the counter. I had premeasured the spices in a tiny dish. At 6:15 AM this was a good thing because I didn’t need to fumble with measuring spoons.

Just before you pull the beef out to shred it, start frying the maduras and get a pot of black beans simmering. Add a little lime to the black beans...it's good.



Transfer steak to cutting board. Remove and discard bay leaf. Tear steak into shreds using two forks. Return shards to cooker and add olives and capers if you’d like.



Serve!


We also had Real Sangria (not great), maduras and black beans.



Okay...you can have a bite of baguette!

17 comments:

  1. Sorry, did I miss something? What are maduras? I bet this smelled amazing when you came in the door! That's the best thing about crock pot cooking, I think.

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  2. I take it the maduras are the plantains which I love love love!!

    that's what caught my eye here. I've never made them for myself...I've only eaten them at Cuban restaurants and the like...

    I want to find some and make them now...

    the rest of the meal looks great too...I've been trying to snag a crock pot on freecycle...they show up from time to time, but I haven't grabbed one fast enough.

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  3. Mmm...this sounds perfect for the cool, rainy weather we've been having.

    Cooper loves bread too, especially if it's the last corner of a peanut butter sandwich!

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  4. Looks delicious! Is your pup a Shibu Inu? Very cute!

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  5. Cuban ropa vieja sounds delicious, such a great recipe for the crock pot!

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  6. Ok, so I "googled" maduras - and I don't think you wear eating anything that showed up in the search results *shakes head madly* oh no!
    Beef looks delicious :o)

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  7. I think they're maduros...

    Plátanos Maduros

    After removing the skin, the ripened fruit can be sliced (3-4 mm thick) and pan fried in oil until golden brown or according to preference. In Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, Honduras (where they are usually eaten with the native sour cream), and Venezuela, they are also eaten baked in the oven (sometimes with cinnamon). Salt is only added to green plantains.

    from here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantain

    love stuff like this!

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  8. WC - I may have spelled it wrong...they are plantains and really good, sweet, not like bananas...yet...

    If you can't find fresh plantains we use the Goya brand frozen. They are really good too.

    Jo, the plantains are a vegetable so Simon will like these ;-) Sweet vegetable......


    Oh yeah, crockpots rock. They can really save you some days when you come home tired.


    Thanks Monica , hey what is free cycle? I'm intrigued.

    Janel - does Cooper like a Kong filled with peanut butter? We give them to our shibas every pizza night!

    Shelly, yes, we have have 2 shiba inus. The red one and a cream. Spoiled rotten too!

    5 Star Foodie and Laquet - thank you! This is a keeper meal to be sure.

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  9. I've only ever made ropa vieja in a pot on the stove....I'll be trying this one soon though.

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  10. This recipe looks great! I've been looking for a recipe to take this weekend to our missionary conference at church. Thank you so much for sharing!! Have a great week.

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  11. Freecycle is in most communities now I think. I was a member in CA and now in NC...

    http://www.freecycle.org/

    it functions locally as an email group where people give stuff away that would otherwise land in a landfill. It's recycling of reusable items. Operating on the theory that one man's trash is another mans treasure.

    I've gotten some really great stuff and given away stuff as well.

    you have to be patient...often you do not get what you'd like...but if you hang in and check the listings everyday eventually and occasionally you get some great stuff and in turn you make others happy too.

    it's a bit like the lottery.

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  12. This sounds great. I love those meals that are waiting for you when you come home. I like Debbie's idea of crock pot Wednesdays. I haven't got out my crock pot yet, but I need to! - Yum!!

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  13. Ive never made this in a crockpot, I must try it, sounds fantastic.

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  14. Comfort!!! Yum...this looks so perfect for the weather we're having here in Indiana right now...leftovers??

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  15. Jen - please let me know if you took it to your confeence and if it was a hit. Good luck!

    Thank you the info about the Freecycle site Monica - I will definately check it out.

    Cathy and Donna - this is way easy too...and you don't have to keep watching it.

    Do it Kim - you won't be sorry. I have been making dessert in the crock too.

    Oh yeah Girlichef - there was enough for two dinners ANd I froze a small portion. Cool!

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  16. I loved reading back over all of the comments on your post this weekend. Everyone was very intrigued:) So was I! This sounds so good that I know I will be trying it very soon. Just wanted you to know that Mister Linky is up and ready for Crock Pot Wednesday. Thanks so much for participating.

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