ROPA VIEJO (CUBAN PULLED BEEF) VIA PRESSURE COOKER

Steps:

• 1. Trim excess fat and ick off of the beef. In a skillet, add 3 Tablespoons of the oil and heat. Into the hot oil, place meat. Sear to brown completely on all sides.
• 2. Remove the browned meat to the pressure cooker and cover the meat with water. (I had leftover broth from making green beans, potatoes, garlic, and ham hocks in the day before, so I used part of that. Replacing half of the water with vegetable or beef broth would also work, but it isn't necessary.)
• 3. Add 1 of the onions, coarsely chopped, to the skillet where the meat was browned and cook until softened. This brings out the flavor in the onion. If you want to add the celery to the skillet, have at it, but I just dumped the carrots and celery--along with the softened onion--into the pressure cooker.
• 4. Add the bay leaves to the contents of the pressure cooker.
• 5. Secure the lid on the pressure cooker and close the valve. Set the pressure to high or 80p. Set to cook for 90 minutes.
• 6. When the pressure cooker's time is up, leave the beef in the cooker while you prepare the following ingredients (if the timing isn't right, just leave it on Warm until you are ready; mine was in the pot another 30 minutes and longer wouldn't have hurt anything).
• 7. In the skillet used earlier, add the remaining oil and heat. Put the other onion, chopped, in the skillet and cook until softened.
• 8. To the onion in the skillet, add the 1 t. finely chopped cilantro, 3 cloves garlic (mashed and minced), 1 cup small green peas and 1 chopped bell pepper and simmer while stirring slowly for 7 minutes.
• 9. Add the ½ c. pimiento (drained and chopped), 3 mild chilies, 4 whole tomatoes (peeled, seeded, chopped) OR 1 large can of tomatoes (I used fire roasted), and 2 t. tomato paste.
• 10. Use a measuring cup to scoop two cups of the broth out of the pressure cooker. Add to skillet mixture. Add dry powdered/ground ingredients. 1 T cayenne pepper, ½ t cumin, and salt and pepper (to taste). Stir mixture to blend well, cover the skillet, and allow to simmer for 15-20 min.
• 11. Using tongs, take the meat out of the pressure cooker and place in a large serving bowl or a platter that curves up on the sides to contain juices. Pull the beef apart (it will probably be falling apart anyway as you take it out of the cooker). Make sure you don't grab any of the bay leaves as you are transferring the meat from the cooker.
• 12. Dish up any side dishes/accompaniments and ready the table as the skillet simmers. Rice or baked potatoes go well with this entree; the beef can be ladled over either one. It would also be really good with polenta.
• 13. Five to ten minutes before serving, take the cover off of the skillet and turn the heat up to allow contents to thicken somewhat.
• 14. Pour the skillet contents over the beef and toss a bit to coat all of the beef. Tongs work well for this.
• 15. This is a dish where the flavors only improve with time, so leftovers are a plus! The recipe makes quite a bit, so I froze half of the leftovers to have for a quick meal on a night when I have little time to cook and put the other half in the refrigerator to use for sandwiches or lunches over the next couple of days.
• 16. When cleaning up, remove the bay leaves from the broth left in the pressure cooker and transfer the remaining broth to a glass jar to put in the fridge or a freezer container. Use for soup or another recipe.