Ropa Vieja Dip (the Cuban version of a French Dip)🥖🥩

For the Ropa Vieja:

1. Start by getting a 3.5-pound chuck roast. Cut it into cubes, and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Brown the seasoned chuck roast on all sides in a large pot on medium heat with oil, then set it aside.
3. In the same pot, add 1 large diced yellow onion, 1 diced green bell pepper, 1 diced red bell pepper, 2 bay leaves, and 8 cloves of minced garlic. Let this simmer for a couple of minutes.
4. Then add one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of dry white wine, 1.5 cups of beef stock. Season with cumin, Sazon, Adobo, beef bouillon, pepper, and dry or fresh oregano.
5. Add the browned chuck roast back into the pot and cook covered on low heat for about 2 to 2.5 hours, stirring about every 30 minutes. Cook until the meat easily shreds.
6. When the beef is done, shred all of the beef and strain the cooking juices into a separate bowl for dipping. Remove the bay leaves.
7. Add the cooked vegetables into the shredded beef. You can mix in the Spanish olives at this stage if desired, or leave them out.
8. Mix in your preferred amount of broth to the beef (around 1/4 cup is suggested). Adjust seasoning if needed.

For the Sofrito Aioli:

1. In a blender, combine 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of diced red onion, about half a bunch of cilantro, the juice from 1/2 of a lime, 1 cup of mayo, chicken bouillon powder, and chili powder.
2. Blend until smooth. Let the aioli sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

To Assemble the Dip:

1. Get some Cuban bread and lightly toast the inside of the bread in a pan with butter.
2. To the bottom half of the toasted bread, add in your Ropa Vieja and some slices of Swiss cheese. Melt the cheese under the broiler.
3. To the top half of the bread, spread on the Sofrito Aioli.
4. Add a layer of plantain chips (garlic flavor preferred) on top of the Ropa Vieja and melted cheese.
5. Serve the assembled sandwich with a side of the delicious strained broth for dipping. Enjoy!