Old clothes and New Years

One of my comfort foods is Ropa Vieja (literally old clothes), it's meat that has been simmered so long it falls apart and then is stewed with tomato sauce and spices. You serve it it with rice. I have had variations of Ropa Vieja here, not bad, but not the Cuban kind. Another dish which is a family favorite is black beans and white rice, Moros y Cristianos, yum. Neither of these are pretty dishes, but really tasty. My daughter got my mom's recipe for ropa vieja when we went up to visit my parents last May, it's almost the same as the one I use. I also have a Cuban cookbook called Memories of a Cuban Kitchen by Mary Urrutia Randleman and Joan Schwarth which has a very similar recipe, I guess there are only so many ways to combine meat and tomato.
I found a product in the grocery store called Guten, carne y soya (Tu alternativa para preparar una comida completa) which is made from a mix of meat, wheat gluten and TVP so it isn't really a meat substitute, it comes in strips, shreds and chunks, so I bought the shredded (deshebrada) and used it in Ropa Vieja, not bad and certainly faster than simmering the meat and shredding it by hand. I recommend cooking the meat the night before and letting it sit in the refrigerator before shredding it.

1 kilo carne para deshebrar (flank steak works great)
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500 grams of pure de tomate (about 2 cups tomato sauce)
1/2 cup Jerez (cooking sherry)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped, drained pimientos for garnish
1 small can of peas

• Place the beef and 1 bay leaf in a large saucepan, cover with salted water, cook over low heat, covered, until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. Let the meat cool in the stock (preferably overnight in the fridge), or at least until room temperature. Remove the meat from the stock (reserve the stock for another use), then shred the meat with your fingers or a fork.
• While the meat is cooling, heat a large skillet, add the oil, heat until it shimmers, then cook the onions,peppers and garlic until the vegetables are tender. (If the pan needs more oil, add a little water instead). Add the tomato pure, the Jerez, and the remaining bay leaf and cook uncovered an additional 15 minutes.
• Season the shredded meat with the salt and pepper and add it to the tomato mixture. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, garnish with the pimientos and green peas.
• This dish improves with being prepared in advance and then reheated.
• serve with white rice