Tex Mex Fajitas Two Ways

Google “Fajita Recipe” and you get 1,470,000 hits in 0.16 seconds. OK, so what the world really doesn’t need is two more fajita recipes, right? Right. But, being as much of an expert as the next guy, (hell,  I’ve been to Texas … multiple times), I know quite a few Texans and Mexicans, and Lord knows I’ve eaten a lot of fajitas in my time, so here goes.  The first adaptation of this classic is slow cooked until the meat falls apart and the vegetables bear almost no resemblance to their original selves. The second version is quickly grilled and sliced medium rare. Both are delicious and relatively easy to prepare.  So pour yourself a Corona and dig in.

Slow Cooked Beef Fajitas Rosita (serves 3 – 4)
This isn’t like the traditional Fajitas many people cook, but a sweet Mexican lady I met years ago says her family has done it this way for generations, and it is delicious.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs flank steak
1 large yellow onion cut in half and then sliced thin with the grain
2 – 3 medium peppers of various colors stemmed, seeded and sliced lengthwise in strips

Marinade
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
½ tsp garlic powder
¼  tsp ground cayenne pepper
2  tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
Juice of one large lime (or 1 ½ medium limes)
½ cup low-salt soy sauce or tamari
½ cup water

Method
Mix all marinade ingredients. Place with the steak and vegetables in a lidded marinating container with a tight seal. Refrigerate 6 hours to overnight turning the container over at least twice to assure even marinating.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place marinated, meat and vegetables in a Pyrex or other baking dish with a tight foil cover or lid and place in oven for 1 ½ to 3 hours until meat is very tender and easily tears apart when pulled with two forks.

Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or drain off the liquid and wrap in four tortillas. It’s a little salty because of the soy sauce, so ice cold beer goes down easy with this version, as well as with almost any other kind of food now that I think about it.

Grilled Tex-Mex Fajitas (serves 6 – 8 with side dishes)
In the summertime, I love to grill my fajitas over live coals. Corona, guacamole, corn chips plus several salsas and hot sauces keep the gang going while the coals burn down to pretty darn hot so the meat browns quickly on the outside and stays pink to red inside.

Ingredients:
2 lbs flank or skirt steak
1 yellow onion sliced thinly
2 – 3 medium peppers of various colors stemmed, seeded and sliced lengthwise in strips
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)

Marinade:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 pickled jalapenos stemmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Juice of one large lime (or 1 ½ medium limes)

Method:
Mix all marinade ingredients and rub ¾ of the blend on steak, tossing the remaining spice blend in a mixing bowl with the peppers. Place the sliced onion on the bottom of a flat-bottomed pan big enough to lay the steak out flat. Place the steak on the layer of onions and sprinkle the peppers over everything. Let stand for one hour minimum or up to overnight refrigerated.  The longer the waiting time the better the cooked meat flavor.

When your coals are good and hot but not flaming, brush the meat lightly with vegetable oil, salt and pepper and cook quickly until the inside meat is still pink. Put the peppers on the grill for the last couple of minutes until they just soften.

Let the meat stand 5 minutes and then slice across the grain into thin strips. Wrap in warm tortillas with your favorite condiments: shredded cheese, salsa, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, etc. Add black beans and Spanish rice side dishes and you have a great summer meal. If you have time to make your own tortillas, even better.  Oh, don’t forget the beer!