• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 cups white-wine vinegar
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• beef bottom-round roast - 4 lb approx.
• 5 cloves of garlic - peeled and smashed
• 1 large Spanish onion - peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery - chopped
• 2 leeks (white and light green only) - washed well and thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 green bell pepper - stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper - stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp cilantro - washed and chopped for garnish

1. Combine the white sugar and 1 cup of water in wide bottom saucepan and cook, without stirring over med-high heat until the sugar dissolves and turns dark caramel, 10-25 min. Carefully add the brown sugar, vinegar and wine, and cook, stirring, until all the caramel has dissolved. Set aside.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over med-high heat. When hot, add the canola oil and butter. When these begin to shimmer and foam, sear the roast on all sides. Transfer the meat to a platter and set aside.
3. Add the garlic, onion, celery leeks, and bay leaves to the dutch oven and cook over med-high heat until they have softened and almost begun to brown. Add the Worcestershire and soy sauces and stir to incorporate, then return the meat to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the bell-pepper slices and pour the caramel sauce over the top. Cover, place in the oven and cook for approx. 2 1/2 hours - basting and turning the meat every 45 min. - until it is very tender.
4. Remove the meat and allow it to stand on a platter, tented in foil, for at least 30 min. If the sauce is not syrupy and thick, remove the vegetables (discard the bay leaves), then place the Dutch oven, uncovered over med-high heat and allow the sauce to reduce.
5. When the meat has sat and the sauce is ready, slice the meat thin across the grain, and return it, along with the vegetables, to the sauce and reheat in the oven or on the stove. Check the seasoning and garnish with chopped cilantro.
6. Serve with white rice and for authenticity fried plantains (slice into coins and fry gently in oil)

Serves: 6-8      Total cook time: 4 hours.
Source: NYT 12/01/2010