Ropa Vieja

Instructions

1. Season 150 g of flank steak with a pinch of the salt and put it in a small heavy saucepan with 350 ml of water and 1 bay leaf. Bring to the boil, skim off the grey foam, then cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 1 hour 30 minutes, until a fork twisted into the meat pulls the fibres apart without resistance.
2. Lift the beef onto a board and let it cool for 10 minutes, then pull it along the grain into fine threads with two forks. Strain the broth and measure out 150 ml, discarding the bay leaf and any excess.
3. Warm 1 tbsp of olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat and cook 0.5 thinly sliced onion and 0.5 sliced red bell pepper for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and just golden at the edges. Add 2 sliced garlic cloves and cook 1 minute, then stir in 0.5 tsp of ground cumin, 0.5 tsp of dried oregano and 0.5 tsp of sweet paprika and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.