Ropa Vieja

By contessawannabe

Ingredients

• 3 pound(s) flank steak, trimmed of fat, cut crosswise into 3 or 4 pieces
• 1 tablespoon(s) adobo seasoning with pepper, for meat
• 3 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 2 large Spanish onions, 1 diced, 1 halved and thinly sliced
• 4 large jalapeño chiles, halved, seeded, and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup(s) dry sherry
• 1 cup(s) chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pound(s) plum tomatoes, quartered, seeded
• 1/4 cup(s) (fresh oregano leaves) chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) ground cumin
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, cut into thin strips
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded, cut into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into thin strips
• 3 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup(s) pitted green olives, slivered

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

Sprinkle steak with adobo seasoning. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat; sear meat, in 2 batches, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate.
Sauté diced onion and jalapeños in drippings until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour in sherry; boil 2 minutes, scraping up browned bits from pot. Add broth, tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the oregano, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of the cumin; return meat and any juices from plate to pot, spooning vegetables over meat. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low; cover and braise 2 1/2 hours, turning meat twice, or until fork-tender.
Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced onion, peppers, garlic, olives, and remaining 2 tablespoons oregano and 1/2 teaspoon cumin; cook 12 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Remove from heat; reserve.
When meat is tender, turn off heat and cool 30 minutes. Remove meat; pull into 1-inch-wide shreds. Discard bay leaves from braising liquid; puree and return to pot with meat and reserved vegetable mixture; toss. Transfer to a storage container. Refrigerate up to 3 days before serving or freeze up to 1 month.
Heat in Dutch oven, covered, over medium heat until hot. Serve with beans, rice, and plantains; garnish with cilantro.