Turkey Ropa Viejas Recipes

ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Pat the flank steak completely dry with a paper towel. Cut in half or thirds (across the grain) if needed to fit into your pot in a single layer. Season with 2 teaspoons salt.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the steak in a single layer and cook until a deep brown crust develops, 5 to 8 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Add the onions and peppers to the same pot. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few cracks black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano; stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it starts to develop color, about 1 minute. Add the vino seco to deglaze and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato sauce, beef stock and bay leaf. Stir to incorporate. Nestle the steak in the sauce, submerging it slightly. Be sure to add any accumulated juices from the plate.
• Cover and cook in the oven until the meat shreds easily with two forks, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Transfer the pot back to the stovetop. Remove the steak to a cutting board or medium bowl and shred into long thin pieces using two forks. Meanwhile, simmer the sauce over low heat until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Return the steak to the pot and stir to combine. Add the lime juice and olives, capers or pimientos, if using.
• Serve with white rice and black beans.

SLOW-COOKED ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• 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., 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.

ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• Season beef or pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high until lightly smoking. Working in batches as needed, cook the meat in a single layer, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch, reducing heat as necessary if the oil smokes excessively.
• Add braised peppers and onions, tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers and chicken stock. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, cover with the lid slightly cracked, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any crust that has formed at the edges of the pan back into the liquid, until meat is completely tender and shreds easily with two forks, about 2 1/2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Shred meat with two forks, and serve immediately with white rice, black beans and hearty greens. Ropa vieja can also be shredded, allowed to cool, and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will improve in texture and flavor with time.

ROPA VIEJA (CUBAN BEEF)

Steps:

• Cut flank steak in half across the grain. Mix salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Season both sides generously with the salt mixture.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over high heat. Add steaks and cook until outsides are well browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove steaks to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add red onion, garlic, and more of the salt seasoning. Cook and stir until starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cloves, and allspice. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour in white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.
• Return beef and accumulated juices to the pot. Season with salt and add bay leaves. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beef is almost fork-tender, not falling apart, about 2 hours.
• Remove pot from heat and let stew cool to room temperature, at least 45 minutes. Refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight, for best results.
• Remove beef to a plate and set stew over medium heat. Tear beef along the grain into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-wide shreds; place back in the stew. Add bell peppers, poblanos, smoked paprika, capers, olives, and sugar. Stir together and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until peppers are soft and meat is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove bay leaves, and stir in cilantro.

ZARELA MARTINEZ'S ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• Cut the flank steak in half horizontally so it will fit into a large Dutch oven. Place it in the pot and cover it with the water. Add the six whole cloves of garlic, along with the peppercorns and salt as desired. Place over low heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the Dutch oven and continue cooking over low heat, turning the meat occasionally, until it is tender and well done, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• While the meat is stewing, heat the broiler. Rinse and dry the peppers. Arrange them in a broiler pan about four inches from the flame. Roast them, turning frequently, until they are evenly blistered and charred on all sides. Transfer to a paper bag, seal it and let the peppers sit until cool enough to handle.
• Remove the cooled peppers from the bag and slice off the top of each. Scrape out the seeds and slip off the skins with your fingers (wear rubber gloves if your hands are sensitive). Slice each pepper lengthwise into strips an eighth of an inch wide. Set aside.
• When the meat is tender, remove the Dutch oven from the heat and let the meat cool in its own broth. When it cools enough to handle, remove it from the broth and place it on a cutting board. Slice the meat across the grain into strips about two inches across. Using your fingers, pull the meat into fine shreds. Return it to the cooking broth.
• Heat the lard or other fat in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until it is rippling. Crush the sliced garlic cloves and add to the hot fat. Saute for one minute, stirring frequently. Add the sliced onion and saute, stirring frequently, until it is somewhat soft, about three minutes. Add the reserved pepper strips to the pan and continue sauteing and stirring for about two minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peppers, onion and garlic to the Dutch oven. Cook the meat mixture, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the flavors are blended, about 10 to 15 minutes. Serve the meat hot, rolled up in heated flour tortillas.

ROPA VIEJA IN A SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Pierce the beef roast to tenderize it and let the flavors in, and place it into a slow cooker with the garlic, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, yellow onions and sweet onions. Stir in the tomato paste and red wine vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, seasoned salt, salt, and ground black pepper.
• Cover, and cook on Low until the beef is tender, 7 to 8 hours. Remove beef, and shred into long strands using two forks. Return the meat to the slow cooker and combine with the vegetables.
• Cook on Low until the meat and vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• Season both sides of flank steak with sazon and place in pot with just enough water to cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove flank steak and shred with 2 forks. Preserve 1 cup of the liquid.
• Heat oil in skillet on medium, add sofrito and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of the liquid from the pot, tomato sauce and adobo.
• Simmer while stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
• Serve over white rice.

TURKEY ROPA VIEJAS

Steps:

• Place the turkey in a 3-1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Add the tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, sliced onion, chopped bell pepper, sliced olives, minced garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, and black pepper, mixing gently. Cover and cook on LO heat 6-7 hours.
• Shred the turkey in the slow-cooker using 2 forks. Stir in the lemon juice and salt.
• Serve with rice and/or beans, if desired.