My husband loves this recipe so much that when I just say the words “ropa vieja”, he starts salivating. For me it’s not even that difficult a recipe to make, since it cooks all day in a slow cooker and just needs a few steps before it’s ready for dinner. I changed a few things in this one, including a little soy sauce along the way. The end result is a single bowl of awesome deliciousness.

Prep time – 20 minutes / Cook time – 5.5 hours

  • 2 T. vegetable oil
  • 2 onions halved and sliced thin
  • 2 red bell peppers sliced into 1/2 inch wide strips
  • 1/4 c. tomato paste
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 T. cumin
  • 1 t. oregano
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 c. dry white wine
  • 2 T. soy sauce
  • 2 T. balsamic vinegar
  • 3 lbs. flank steak cut crosswise against grain into 4 equal pieces
  • 1/2 c. pitted pimento olives sliced
Heat oil in non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and red pepper and cook covered until softened, about 8 – 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Push vegetables to sides of skillet. Add tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, 1/2 t. salt to center of pan. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir vegetable mixture into tomato paste mixture. Add wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes.  Transfer vegetable mixture to slow cooker, add soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Season steak with salt and pepper and nestle into vegetable mixture. Cover and cook until meat is very tender, 6 to 7 hours on low or 5 to 6 hours on high (I cooked 5 1/2 hours on high). Transfer steak to cutting board. Using two forks shred steak into bite-sized pieces. Stir in olives and 2 cups of vegetable mixture, serve over jasmine rice.