Ropa Vieja

Place a whole piece of beef flank in a large pot, cover with cold water (so it covers the meat by 3-4 cm), add one onion (cut in half), 2 cloves of garlic, 2 bay leaves and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, season with salt and simmer covered on low heat for 1-1.5 hours until tender.

Remove the meat from the broth, let it cool slightly and shred it along the muscle fibers using two forks — it's exactly these rag-like strands that gave the dish its name "ropa vieja" ("old clothes"). Strain the broth and set aside 250 ml for the sauce.

Cut the second onion, red and green bell peppers into thin strips, and finely chop the remaining garlic (4 cloves). Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion and peppers for 5-7 minutes until softened, add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant.

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, peel them and puree with a blender. Add the puree to the vegetables along with the cumin and oregano, simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly.

Pour in the dry white wine, let it evaporate for 2-3 minutes, then add the reserved broth and bring to a boil.

Add the shredded meat to the skillet, mix with the sauce, cover and braise on low heat for 20-25 minutes so the strands soak up the sauce.

Add the pitted green olives and capers, cook for another 5 minutes uncovered. Adjust the taste with salt and ground black pepper.

Serve the dish hot immediately after cooking.