Loosely translated as “old clothes,” ropa vieja is among Cuba’s best-loved dishes. Usually, the beef must be cooked for hours before it becomes tender enough to tear into the shreds that give the dish its name. With an Instant Pot, however, the beef becomes meltingly tender in a fraction of the time. Serve the ropa vieja on top of rice, and garnish with slices of fresh avocado, if you like.
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
75 minutes
Servings
6
Ingredients
2 lb. (1 kg) sirloin tip roast, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) white wine
1 can (14 oz./440 g) diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup (3 oz./90 g) golden raisins
1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) capers, drained
2 Tbs. sherry vinegar
1/2 cup pitted green olives
Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Directions
Season the beef generously with salt and pepper.
In an Instant Pot set to “sauté,” warm the olive oil. Working in batches, sear the beef, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion and bell pepper to the pot and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, paprika and turmeric and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the wine and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf and return the beef to the pot. Turn the valve to “sealing” and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook at high pressure for 40 minutes.
Turn the valve to “venting” to manually release the steam. When the steam stops, carefully remove the lid and transfer the beef to a bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the beef into bite-size pieces. Return the beef to the pot and add the raisins, capers and vinegar. Set the pot to “sauté” and simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the green olives. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately. Serves 6.
Rated 4 out of
5 by
Texas Dave from
Flavor is good, but needs more timeThe flavor is great in this Ropa Vieja, however, I used flank steak and that needs a LOT more time to become tender. I did it for 50 minutes and started to shred it but realized it was still too chewy. I put it under pressure for another 25 minutes and it was much better. I realize the recipe calls for a difference cut of meat. Just a heads up if someone uses the more traditional flank steak.
Date published: 2023-03-13
Rated 5 out of
5 by
DebHo from
Instant Pot...Or Slow CookerUsually I cook a recipe to the tee and then adjust based on preference. Well this recipe needed no adjustments, it was perfect as is. Firs time I made it I used my sister's pressure cooker. Next time I made it in my slow cooker and it was just as good.
Date published: 2020-07-31
Rated 5 out of
5 by
ATLMPP from
Easy and Full of Flavor - DeliciosoI love ropa vieja but it can be complex and time consuming to make. This Instant Pot version makes this easy to make if you are in a hurry and does not compromise the flavor. Because this dish originated in Spain, I used, and recommend, Arbequina olive oil and Manzanilla olives from Andalusia if you have the choice. Manzanilla olives are easy to find and Pompeian makes an EVOO blend that uses Arbequina olives. Both products are readily available in a grocery store.
Date published: 2019-05-23
Rated 4 out of
5 by
CreativeCooky from
Tasty, but time consumingMy husband and I really enjoyed this dish, although it could've used a bit more kick. I used smoked paprika in place of regular and left out the olives (personal preference), but otherwise made as written. Next time, I might use hot smoked paprika and add a chipotle in adobo sauce, although not authentic to the dish. For timing, carefully read the recipe first. In addition to prep work, it involves a couple cooking steps -- browning the meat (in four batches for the amount of meat) and sauteing the veggies -- before the pressure cooking begins. Then after cooking, using the saute function to cook down the sauce a bit. From start to finish, it took me almost two hours and 15 minutes to prepare, but I'm also not the fastest cook. I served it with brown rice, but it would be perfect as a soft taco filling as well.
