Ropa Vieja
(Comments in parenthesis are there to show gluten free brands)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds beef flank steak
1 cup beef broth. (pacific Foods)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (Muir Glen or Ranaldi)
1 small onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste (Muir Glen)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (all spices mcCormic)
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro (Organic may use wheat as a pesticide)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar (Heinz brand is corn not wheat based)
Heat oil in a pan, once hot add the cumin, chili powder and cayenne. Fry the spices in the oil until they are fragrant. This is a critical step and will easily double the potency and robustness of the spices vs. placing them directly into the crock pot.
Add the sliced onions to the pan and cook until soft and a little golden. To get this texture fry them for a minute or two to get the color and then add about a teaspoon of water to the pan, the steam will then soften your golden onions. For the last 30 seconds of cooking add the garlic and stir so it doesn't burn.
Add this to the crock pot.
Next fry up the beef for just a few minutes in the pan you just used. You may need to add more oil. This will get any remaining seasoning off the pan and onto the beef as well as help infuse the beef with more onion and garlic flavor. This is just searing the beef to get a crispier texture on the outside, the inside will still be raw.
Add the beef and the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot. Set it to low and cook for 10 hours.
We serve this over cilantro rice and black beans, though I have heard of people serving it with tortillas and sour cream.
For the cilantro rice. For 2 with leftovers
2 c. Long grain rice like basmati or jasmine (washed)
3-4 garlic cloves
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bunch of cilantro
1 c. Chicken stock
3 c. Water
1 lime
Zest the lime and have 1/2 the cilantro washed and chopped before the garlic is fried.
Fry the garlic for 30 seconds in the oil and add the rice. Stir the rice until coated. Add the zest and cilantro. The cilantro will get a bit bruised while doing this but it is a good thing so more flavor is released. Stir for 30 seconds and then add the chicken stock as well as 3 cups of water.
Cook until water is absorbed and the rice is fluffy. I just throw everything into my rice cooker and hit start at this point.
Once the rice is complete test it to decide if you want to add more lime juice and top with chopped cilantro.