Vaca frita, a traditional Cuban dish, literally means fried cow. It's usually cooked with a mix of onions, citrus, and seasoning. I like to add peppers for color and to make it a little healthier.
This recipe is easy to make but might be a little time consuming, although worth it. You'll need a pressure cooker or an Instapot in order to be able to shred it. If you don't own either you can still boil the meat in water for a couple of hours and then shred. Use two forks and leave pretty big chunks together and shred other parts into smaller pieces.
Ingredients
2 lbs flank steak
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 small bunch of parsley
juice from 1 lime
2 limes cut into wedges
2 whole bay leaves
1 tsp granulated garlic
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp granulated onion
2 tsp salt
Directions
Place the flank steak in a deep pot and fill with water until it’s covered. Add the bay leaves and cover. Let it simmer for a couple of hours. If you’re using a pressure cooker, follow the appliance directions and cook approximately 30 minutes. Remove from heat, take the meat out and let it rest and cool. While the steak is still warm, shred the beef using two forks, or your fingers if it’s cool enough to handle. Set it aside while you make the sofrito.
Sofrito: Place two tablespoons of olive oil into a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and half the garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the spices. Saute for another 5 minutes.
Add the sliced bell peppers to the sofrito and saute for a few minutes, until they become soft but not so much that they lose their bright color.
Turn the heat up to medium high and add the beef. Cook for 10 to15 minutes until crispy. Remove from heat.
Add the rest of the raw garlic to the beef along with the lime juice and mix it in. Top with parsley and lime wedges and serve with a spatula. This dish can be served by itself, or with white rice and black beans for a truly Cuban experience.
