Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

According to Wikipedia: "Ropa vieja (English: Old clothes) is one of the national dishes of Cuba, consisting of stewed beef with vegetables. It originates from a Sephardic dish from the Middle Ages."

I don't know why, but it is a stew unlike any other, even though the ingredients are common to many other recipes.  Flank steak and golden raisins are the only unusual elements.  I added butternut squash and mushrooms.  I loved it.  Serve over brown rice.

Note:  Even after 5 hours, the steak wasn't tender enough to shred, so I cut it into slices.

6 servings

11 calculated points

Any Red Blend

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1½ pounds flank steak, trimmed
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 cup thinly sliced white onion
• 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ⅓ cup golden raisins
• 1 cup unsalted beef stock
• 3 tablespoons unsalted tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can unsalted fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• ⅓ cup pimiento-stuffed olives, halved
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 cups hot cooked rice

Directions

1. Coat a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut steak into quarters. Sprinkle steak evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; add steak to pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer steak to slow cooker. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, onion, bell peppers, and garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes or until slightly softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in raisins; transfer onion mixture to slow cooker.

3. Combine stock, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, tomatoes, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. Pour tomato mixture over steak and vegetables in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours and 15 minutes or until steak is very tender.

4. Remove steak from cooker; shred using 2 forks. Stir steak, olives, and cilantro into sauce. Serve steak mixture over rice.