Ropa Vieja, Shredded Beef & Rice

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g braising beef (chuck or blade)
• 1 beef stock cube + 1 L hot water
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp olive oil (1 for the meat, 1 for the vegetables)
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g) + 3 garlic cloves
• 1 red pepper + 1 green pepper (about 160 g each)
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g) + 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp ground cumin + 1 tsp dried oregano
• 60 g pitted green olives
• 200 g long-grain rice
• 1 tin black beans (240 g drained)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Flameproof casserole dish with lid
• Large sauté pan
• 2 saucepans
• Colander
• 2 forks
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Pat the beef dry, cut it into 4 large pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the casserole over a high heat and sear the pieces for 2 to 3 min per side, until well browned: this browning gives the stock all its flavour.
2. Pour in the stock (the cube crumbled into 1 L hot water) and add the bay leaf: the meat should be covered. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam that rises with a spoon, then cover and leave to simmer very gently over a low heat for 2 h.
3. While it cooks, slice the onion and peppers into thin strips, chop the garlic and slice the olives into rings. Rinse and drain the black beans in the sieve: everything will be ready when the meat comes out of the casserole.
4. Check it's done: the meat should fall apart on its own when pressed with a fork; if not, cook for another 15 to 20 min. Lift the pieces out onto the chopping board, remove the bay leaf and set aside 250 ml of the cooking stock, keeping the rest for the beans.
5. Heat the remaining oil in the sauté pan over a medium heat and fry the onion and peppers for 8 min, until soft and lightly coloured. Meanwhile, shred the beef with two forks, pulling along the grain, and remove any pieces of fat.
6. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano to the pan and stir for 1 min. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and the 250 ml of stock, then stir in the beef and olives. Simmer uncovered for 15 min over a low heat, until the sauce thickens and coats the meat.
7. Meanwhile, rinse the rice and cook it in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet (about 12 min), then drain. In the second pan, gently warm the beans over a low heat for 5 min with 3 tbsp of the remaining stock, salt and pepper.
8. Taste the ropa vieja and adjust the salt and pepper, without overdoing the salt as the olives are already salty. Serve with the rice and black beans side by side, as in Cuba, where the dish's name (“old clothes”) refers to these strands of meat.