So almost everyone I know likes fajitas. Think about it. Whenever you go to a Mexican restaurant, everyone stops and stares as the sizzling platter goes by. When someone at your table orders some, you look longingly across the table wishing you had them... And for some reason, they're one of the most expensive recipes on the menu. By they way, you know that the majority of the sizzle comes from the lime juice they squeeze on the skillet at the last minute, right?
So I created a fajita recipe that is tasty, easy and you can use almost any type of meat. You don't need the customary iron skillet, so don't go buy anything if you don't already have it. This is great for a summer meal out on the patio for 4-5 people. Feel free to double or triple it depending on the size of your party.
Fajitas
Serves 4
Marinade
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
two limes
2 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chipotle sauce (either bottled or from a can of chipotle peppers)
1 teaspoon hot sauce (Cholulu, Tapatio, Tobasco, or your favorite)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
*Spicy version, add one finely chopped jalapeno (include seeds if you really want to bring the heat) and 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Meat: 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, sirloin steak, chicken breasts or shrimp (with tails removed)
Veggies: One onion, one large green pepper, one large red pepper
In a large Ziploc bag, combine all of your marinade ingredients and either shake or squish the bag to mix everything together. Add the meat to the bag and roll it around until the meat is completely covered by the marinade. Place that bag in another Ziploc bag to make sure nothing spills in you fridge (trust me, that's an ugly mess) and let it chill for anywhere between 1 to 24 hours (it's flexible).
When your ready to cook the meat, prepare the vegetables. Slice the top and bottoms off of the peppers. Slice up the peppers lengthwise so you have strips that are about 1/4 inch wide and 2-3 inches long. Take the top and bottom off the onion and then cut the onion vertically so you get a number of small slivers. Place all of the veggies in a bowl for later...
Fire up the barbecue and set it to medium heat. While that's happening, heat a large pan or skillet to medium/meduim high and place 3 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil inside to prepare to fry the veggies. Once the grill is nice and hot, pull the meat out of the marinade and place immediately on the grill (if you're doing shrimp, place them on skewers so they don't fall through the grates). As the meat is cooking, dump the onions and peppers into the heated pan. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes. When the meat is done, slice up the steak or chicken into small edible strips. If you're using flank steak, make sure to slice across the grain of the meat so the meat is as chewable as possible.
After about 10 minutes in the pan, the peppers will char and the onions will caramelize. Remove the veggies from the pan.
How you present the concoction is up to you. If you want to serve it family style, I prefer to place the veggies on a plate, and then place the meat on top, but if you want to mix it all together, that's fine. If you have enough cash to own individual cast iron skillets, then why aren't you at a restaurant having someone cook them for you... but you could also heat those skillets in an oven for 15 minutes while you're cooking the meat and veggies and place a good portion when ready. Squeeze the juice of half of a lime onto each skillet so you can get the requisite sizzling sound, that's how they do it in the restaurants.
And when it comes to tortillas, go for the best you can. Store bought is OK, but the fresher they are, the better. If you have access to authentic tortillas from a Latin grocery store, definitely use them. If not, you can buy uncooked tortillas at Costco or your local grocery store. It's a little more work, but I think freshly cooked tortillas really bring a better flavor to the party.
Make sure to have all the condiments on hand. Lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and some good pico de gallo or your favorite salsa. Also, have slices of lime on hand to add that little bit of tanginess.
I like to have a little Spanish rice on the side, and I just happen to have a recipe for that as well, so find it and use it if you'd like.
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