Lunch / Dinner
Ropa Vieja Stew
“Ropa vieja” [ROH-pah VYAY-hah] means “old clothes” in Spanish, but don’t let its translation fool you. With strips of chiles and peppers and polka-dotted with olives and beans, this hearty soup as warm as a well-worn flannel shirt.
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Tip
Stir in your favorite beer — a lager will give it a milder flavor than a stronger beer, such as an ale.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cook bacon in a large ovenproof pot until crisp; transfer to a papertowel-lined plate and set aside.
Brown steak in drippings, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Add onions, chiles, and bell pepper, and cook, over mediumhigh heat until beginning to brown, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin; cook 2 minutes, then stir in masa harina and cook 1 minute more.
Deglaze pot with beer, scraping up any brown bits; simmer until nearly evaporated. Stir in broth, bring to a boil, then return steak to pot; cover, transfer to oven,and braise until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Remove steak from pot, shred with 2 forks, then stir back into pot along with bacon, beans, and olives. Simmer stew on stove top until heated through, about 5 minutes; season with salt.
Serve stew with scallions.
After braising 1 hour, the flank steak should be tender enough to pull apart with forks.
Return the shredded meat to the stew base and heat through with the rest of the mixture
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 596
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 33%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Cholesterol 142mg 47%
Sodium 1106mg 46%
Carbs 36g 12%
Protein 58g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.