Slow-Cooked Ropa Vieja

Name: Slow-Cooked Ropa Vieja
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 35 min
Yield: 6 servings.
Ingredients: 1 beef flank steak (2 pounds); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 2 cups beef broth; 1/2 cup dry vermouth; 1/2 cup dry red wine or additional beef broth; 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste; 1 large onion, thinly sliced; 1 large carrot, sliced; 1 small sweet red pepper, thinly sliced; 1 cubanelle or mild banana pepper, thinly sliced; 3 sprigs fresh oregano; Hot cooked rice; Optional: Additional fresh oregano, lime wedges and sliced green olives with pimientos

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 35 min. Cook: 8 hours YIELD: 6 servings.

I traveled to Cuba a few years back and experienced some of the best food imaginable. One staple dish stuck out more than the rest, and that was ropa vieja. I had multiple variations, and when I returned home, I began to experiment making ropa vieja in the slow cooker. I went through roughly 5 trials before coming to this recipe. —Joshua Boyer, Traverse City, Michigan

Ingredients

1 beef flank steak (2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1/2 cup dry red wine or additional beef broth
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 small sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cubanelle or mild banana pepper, thinly sliced
3 sprigs fresh oregano
Hot cooked rice
Optional: Additional fresh oregano, lime wedges and sliced green olives with pimientos

Directions

1. Cut steak into 6 pieces; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; brown meat in batches. Transfer meat to a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Add broth, vermouth, wine and tomato paste to pan. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Pour over meat.
2. Top with onion, carrot, red pepper, cubanelle pepper and oregano. Cook, covered, on low until meat is tender, 8-10 hours. Remove oregano sprigs; discard. Remove meat; shred with 2 forks. Return to slow cooker; heat through. Serve with rice and, if desired, additional oregano, lime wedges and green olives.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 278 calories, 11g fat (5g saturated fat), 72mg cholesterol, 611mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 2g fiber), 32g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 1 vegetable.