Cuban Ropa Vieja

Cuban Style Stewed Shredded Beef

        Ropa Vieja (ROpah vee-EH-hah) translates literally from Spanish as "old clothes, so named because you cook the beef, then shred it up, like tattered old clothes.
And with flavors of slow cooked beef stewed in a rich sauce of onions, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, cumin, bay and oregano, it's no wonder it's among the best loved dishes in all Cuban cuisine.
        Some recipes call to braise the beef first with all the flavorings, and then shred, this author prefers to boil the beef first, cool and shred and then stew with all the seasonings.  It cooks up more tender this way.
         Serve with steamed rice and black beans.
Ingredients                                                                                                   Serves 4-6
For efficiency, make sure to put the beef on the stove to boil before you start your knife work.

2.5-3 pounds chuck roast cut into roughly 8 equal pieces             
1/2 med onion cut in half
4 smashed garlic cloves 
1 carrot cut in thirds   
1 celery stalk cut in thirds 
5 cups water/beef stock
For the rest:   
2 Tablespoons oil         
a medium onion, cut into 1/3 inch strips vertically
1 red bell pepper cut into 1/4 inch strips   
1/2 green bell pepper cut into 1/4 inch strips
4 cloves garlic rough chopped   
1/3 cups green pitted olives cut into thirds or quarters
1 tsp cumin   
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
1-1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1-15oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups of the liquid from boiling the beef
1/2 tsp sugar
1/3 cup frozen peas (optional)
Method:

1. Put the beef, the 1/2 onion, carrot, celery and four garlic cloves in a 4 or 5 quart Dutch oven, pour in the water/stock, cover the pot and place on high heat until the meat comes to a rolling boil (about 15-20 minutes). Then turn the heat down to medium, keeping the pot completely covered and continue to boil the beef for another 40-50 minutes.
2. While the beef is boiling do all your knife-work and set aside.  When the beef is boiled, remove all the pieces from the liquid and cool beef for at least 20 minutes while you prepare the base of the stew.  Reserve 2 cups of the boiling liquid in a bowl.  The remainder you can save and us for soup or sauce stock.
3. In your Dutch oven, bring 2 Tablespoons oil up to slightly higher than medium heat and saute your Onions, peppers and garlic for 3 or 4 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
4. Add Cumin, oregano, black pepper, and bay leaves, and stir to distribute.  Add tomato paste, tomatoes and boiling liquid, 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.  Stir to completely dissolve the tomato paste. Simmer 2 minutes and turn off heat.   The beef should be ready to shred at this point
5. Loosely shred all the beef and put into the pot with the stewing liquid. Turn up heat to medium high and stir to incorporate thoroughly.
6. Cover pot and bring Ropa Vieja up to a rolling boil for 2 minutes., uncover, stir a couple of times, turn the heat to medium and simmer fully covered for 15 minutes.  Stirring a couple of times at the halfway point.
7. Remove the lid and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring a couple times half way through. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
8. Remove from heat add peas and olives then let cool 15 minutes (this will give the flavors time to set and the sauce time to thicken). Adding the frozen peas here help them to retain their texture and color.