Food Blogging

When my wife called home to ask what we were having for dinner and I told her “old clothes” she was singularly unimpressed. She has changed her mind, and now wants to know when I’m going to make it again.

The name of this dish is Spanish for “old clothes” and comes from the appearance of the meat after it has been shredded. I got the recipe from the San Diego Union-Tribune, and have modified it only slightly. I hope you have a crock pot.

For my Progressive friend in Chicago, this one has no ginger.

Ropa Vieja

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
½ cup water
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp ground Cumin
½ tsp leaf Oregano
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 medium onion
2 lbs skirt steak or flank steak
1 large red Bell pepper
1 large green Bell pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

Put the first nine ingredients in the crock pot and stir to combine. Peel the onion, quarter it, and then slice it thin and add it to the pot. Add the beef to the pot: no need to brown it or anything, just plunk it in there.

Rinse the peppers, core them, quarter them lengthwise, slice them into pieces about the size of a nickel and dump them on top of the beef.

Put the canned tomatoes in a bowl, add another teaspoon of garlic (I know, that makes three teaspoons of garlic, but trust me), and about a teaspoon of olive oil. Stir to blend and dump that on top of the peppers in the pot.

Put the cover on the pot and set it on low and go to work. Let that puppy simmer on low for 8-10 hours.

To serve, first go fishing for the meat and put it in large serving bowl (by itself) and use a couple of forks to pull it into shreds. Spoon the rest of the contents of the pot into the bowl and mix it up nicely.

Beautiful. Serve with rice.