Instant Pot Cuban Style Ropa Vieja
I fell hard for Cuban and Nicaraguan food when I moved to Miami for a new role with a local telecom company at 21 years of age. My new colleagues, now lifelong friends, loved that I was oblivious to the Latin American culture and made it their goal to educate me. It was one of the best gifts anyone could ever receive and to this day I can’t pass a Cuban Café without stopping. Ropa Vieja translates to ‘old clothes’ in Spanish and is a staple dish at most Cuban restaurants for good reason - it’s incredible. Give this recipe a try with a side of Cuban white rice and it will change your life for the better, mostly!
Instant Pot Cuban Style Ropa Vieja
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 110 min | Total Time: 2 hrs | Servings: 6
Ingredients
Beef:
2 lbs flank steak, sliced into two by four inch cubes
1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
5 medium garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp salt
2 cups water
Sauce:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
5 medium garlic cloves, smashed
6 oz tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 cup reserved beef broth (strained), more if needed
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp capers, drained. More for garnish, optional
salt and pepper to taste
Equipment
Instant Pot (we use this one)
Large saute pan
Directions
Cook the Beef in the Instant Pot:
1. Layer the beef ingredients above in the instant pot starting with the vegetables, then the beef and salt and then the water.
2. Close the lid and set to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 40-minutes with a natural release. This will take about 20 minutes to come up to pressure, 40 minutes of cook time and then about 30 minutes to release the pressure naturally. This timing works perfectly for us in our 6 qt Instant Pot.
3. Remove the beef to a cutting board and allow to cool for a few minutes. Reserve the broth in the instant pot. Shred the beef with two forks.
Make the Sauce:
1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add the sliced onion, pepper and smashed garlic cloves and saute until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the cumin, oregano, tomato paste and white wine and stir.
3. Remember that reserved broth from the instant pot? Let’s put it to use… strain it first and then add the shredded beef and 1 cup of the broth to the pan, now stir it up!
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer-low for 15 minutes. This is a great time to put on Kenny Rogers and dance around the kitchen.
5. Taste this delightful, simmering Ropa Vieja and add salt and pepper as needed. At the very end add the vinegar and capers and give it a good stir. Serve it up with side of Cuban white rice and enjoy!!!
