Fajitas: Help me jazz it up!
Happy Friday Eaters :)
I'm looking forward to a weekend of wine, movies and of course--cooking.
I grabbed some ingredients from the grocery store yesterday; I've got a 'hankerin' for some fajitas!
I bought some: beef strips, red peppers, red onion, strong cheddar, hot salsa, 'fajita mix' [cheater!], and whole grain pita pockets.
I want it to be special: you guys have any suggestions to 'spice' it up? make it better? any ingredients or techniques you like?
TIA :D hungrychristel
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10 Comments:
avocadoes!
also, how about adding chilies in adobo? that will add a bit of smokiness to your fajitas.
orchidgirl at 11:41AM on 10/16/09
I fry in smoked bacon fat.
Garvey at 11:47AM on 10/16/09
Spice it up!
Add a pinch of jalapeno pepper and/or jalapeno salt !
MySpiceSage at 12:00PM on 10/16/09
I sprinkle skirt steak with adobo seasoning and pepper, then marinate it for 15 minutes to a half hour in a cup of Cuervo margarita mix. The mix gives it a kick of lime and enough sugar to give the steak some nice charred grill marks. The grill marks are normally hard to achieve with skirt steak, even with a hot grill, because skirt steak needs to be cooked quickly so that it doesn't toughen up. It works with boneless skinless chicken breast strips, too, which are really hard to color up without robbing them of their juices.
Avocados, yes, and some lime wedges to squish over the top.
betteirene at 12:14PM on 10/16/09
Cumin, oregano, garlic, ancho chile powder in the meat.
Marinate the meat and vegetables. Grill them before combining for that great wood fired flavor.
Roast a poblano pepper and slice thinly. Or fresh jalepeno strips. Or a diced chipotle pepper. Add to fajitas.
A splash of citrus- lime, sour orange is nice.
Serve with guacamole, roughly chopped cilantro, yellow rice, borracho beans, crema or sour cream, and grilled corn tortillas.
CJ McD at 1:13PM on 10/16/09
@all so far:
Do you guys think that if I use
adobo,
cumin,
oregano,
garlic
and ancho--do you think I can omit the 'powder mix' all together?
I ask because I really like it :)
Normally I'd blend my own but the Old ElPaso has quite an orginal flavour that I wouldn't mind finding out...
hungrychristel at 1:21PM on 10/16/09
This may be a little late and it doesn't involve spices. I marinate my chicken breasts, after cutting it in strips, in soy sauce and cooking sherry. It adds another dimension to the flavor. I use cumin or ancho peppers or sometimes adobo like you mentioned above. I also fire roast my peppers and onions instead of stir frying. It makes another step, but you may like the roasted flavor as something different.
I haven't made these for a while-think that will be the next meal I cook.
janaatwg at 11:38AM on 10/17/09
So it ended up being a disaster :P
The flavour was spot-on; I went wrong with the whole grain pita bread :*( It crumbled INSTANTLY so I just ate a fajita stirfry.
oh wells I guess I know for next time to use something softer.
Also: my beef strips ended up pretty tough--I'm not sure if I overcooked them or I didn't alow the whole thing to 'stew' long enough
Thanks for your help folks :D
hungrychristel at 9:43AM on 10/19/09
Fajitas are always tough, they are a working muscle with long fibers.The key to tenderness is cutting very thin slices across the grain. Traditionally many Mexican recipes call for simmering the steak in tomatoes and peppers, a low and slow cook that breaks down the collagen and makes it more tender. Using a needle tenderizer can also help soften the chew if you are grilling.
Meat guy at 10:06AM on 10/19/09
@Meat Guy: Interesting. So next time I should try simmering over low/medium heat with my veg; thanks!
hungrychristel at 12:14PM on 10/21/09