Cuban Beef Stew (Ropa Vieja)
Discover the rich flavours of Cuban cuisine with a classic Cuban beef stew, known as Ropa Vieja. “Ropa Vieja” translates to “old clothes” in Spanish, with tender slow-cooked shredded beef looking like the shreds of old clothes. The dish is over five hundred years old and is hugely popular to this day. Read on to see how to do it in the slow cooker.
I tried this stew for the first time in a Cuban restaurant called Escudo de Cuba in Dalston, Hackney. The Ropa Vieja was great and so were the rum cocktails. Shortly after I got to work in recreating this dish at home.
The recipe starts with searing the beef to lock in the flavours. I use beef skirt, which has long fibres – perfect for the “old clothes”. You could use beef braising steak instead, also known as ‘chuck’. There’s a little more work in the pan after browning the beef, by sautéing some onion and other ingredients. After that it’s all over to the slow cooker.
This recipe has lots of fantastic ingredients and spices that add complex flavour. Don’t forget the white wine vinegar, which is an important ingredient that helps break down the beef and make it easy to shred. I recommend cooking this on low for at least 8 hours. If you go over 8 hours that’s absolutely fine. You could cook this on high instead if you need to, for 4 hours. However, in my opinion, low and slow is the way to go!
Finally, after the stew has cooked, stir in a large handful of chopped parsley to add a burst of colour and freshness. I recommend serving this alongside rice and black beans, or any vegetables of your choice.
Slow Cooker Cuban Beef Stew (Ropa Vieja)
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
In the pan
- 1 kg Beef skirt or braising steak browned
- 1-2 tbsp Olive oil
- pinch Salt
- 1 White onion diced
- 2 Medium carrots diced
- 1 Celery stalk diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Tomato puree
In the slow cooker
- 1.5 tbsp White wine vinegar
- 250 ml Chicken stock
- 400 g Tinned tomato
- 1 Yellow or red pepper sliced
- 50 g Pimiento stuffed green olives roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp Capers
- 2 tsp Dried oregano
- 2 tsp Ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp Ground allspice
- Pinch Black pepper
- 2 Bay leaves
To stir in after the slow cook
- Large handful parsley freshly chopped
Instructions
- In a hot pan with a little oil, brown the beef skirt lightly on sides for a couple of minutes. Add a pinch of salt to the beef. Do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Remove and set aside.
- Turn the heat in the pan down to a medium heat. Sauté onion, carrot and celery for a few minutes. Add a little more oil if needed.
- Add garlic and cook for a further few minutes, stirring well.
- Add tomato puree and cook for a further couple of minutes, stirring well.
- In the slow cooker, combine the browned beef and your other sautéed ingredients from the pan. Also add all of the other slow cooker ingredients listed above and stir well.
- Cook on low for at least 8 hours.
- Carefully remove the beef, shred and then return to the slow cooker. Stir well.
- Add a large handful of freshly chopped parsley. Stir and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition note
Nutrition calculations are estimates and only include the slow cooker recipe itself. Check the nutrition information for the ingredients you use and also account for anything you choose to accompany the dish with.
