This dish of slow-cooked beef is known as ropa vieja in Cuba – rather unromantically translating as ‘old rope’, on account of how the beef looks when shredded into long strands. The Venezuelan version below includes red peppers and tomatoes: they’re usually fried and added at the end, but I love the flavour you get from cooking them alongside the beef. Bavette or skirt steak is a must here – it becomes meltingly tender after a long, slow cook, and for so few ingredients, this is really something special.