Now, I’m going to go all food geeky on you. Did you know that “fajitas” are a nonsensical item? The term “fajita” used to apply to a tough cut of meat from the belly of a cow. This originated in Mexico with the term arracheras, and the term fajita was used for the same thing in the U.S.
For our part, were trying to relay the vibrance of modern Mexican food, and this sums it up - albeit sterotypically. While the following recipe uses chicken, you could go a little more traditional and use beef - a rump steak will do nicely.
Mexican Fajitas Recipe - Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 2 Bell Peppers (Capsisums) - Go for red and green for a mix
- 1 chilli - deseeded if wished, to reduce the spiciness.
- 1 onion - peeled, and chopped into strips (half the onion through it’s base, and cut stips from there).
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Zest of 1/2 lime
- 1 tablespoon Paprika powder
- Tabasco
- Salt and Pepper
- 4 Tortilla Wraps
Mexican Fajitas Recipe - Method
- Cut the chicken into thin strips approximately 2cm by 10cm, but don’t worry about accuracy. Cut the chicken against the grain (patterning on the meat).
- Cut the chilli as above, but into very small strips perhaps 2mm wide. Deseeding will reduce the heat of the fajitas, but who would want to do that?
- Combine the chicken in a bowl with the lime juice/zest, salt/pepper as desired, and the paprika. Add a few drops of Tabasco, again as much as desired. Mix together and leave for at least one hour to marinate
- Heat some corn (or other) oil in a frying pan until smoking, and add the chicken until cooked through.
- Add the onion, peppers and chilli, and cook until softened. The whole mix should be a brown colour.
And Finally…
Heat the fajita wraps according to instructions, and serve direct to guests. Leave the fajita mix in a bowl on the table, and allow people to make their own fajitas by filling and rolling.
This is perfect served with both freshly made tomato salsa and guacamole, and a bottle of either Corona or Desperados beer. Serve while still hot, and enjoy!
Jeanne
Y
Lil
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)
peabody
katie
Coffee and Vanilla
We Are Never Full
leigh
Julia
November 28th, 2006 at 3:58 am
That’s one nice looking fajita, Scott! I love Mexican food (except for their rice) and this is one of my favourites (the other being quesadillas). I’ll be posting a bean salad soon.
Lovely picture, by the way. Photography is my only grouse with my blog. I’ll get it right someday!
And hey, thanks for linking me. Would love to link your awesome blog too, if that’s alright.
November 28th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Scott, this is one of my fiance’s favourite. I haven’t made them for quite some time. Thanks for the reminder.
December 1st, 2006 at 3:55 pm
You see, this is why your blog is great, you provide me with useless food trivia like the fact that fajita doesn’t really mean anything. People will be sooo impressed with me for knowing that…
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:06 am
Ole!
Having lived by the Mexican border for most of my adult life(until recently) I have had my fill of fajitas! Yours look good.
December 5th, 2006 at 12:59 am
Vani: I love Mexican food too! Your blog looks fine to me - I’m no photography expert either.
Mae: There’s always time for Fajita’s - so quick to make!
Brilynn: I can always be relied upon for the useless stuff ; )
Peabody: I’m sure you’d know that my recipe is not all that authentic then! In fact, I’ve been to Mexico - but the best “Mexican” food I had was at restaurants in AZ.
December 18th, 2006 at 4:50 am
Looks delicious but of course fajitas are TexMex or border food. A Mexican dish would use poblano chiles, not bell peppers, chile powder instead of paprika and more likely use corn tortillas than flour. But it still looks good!
January 7th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Uh, actually “fajita” means “little belt”…slang for the skirt steak that is like a belt on the cow…
January 10th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Helen Highwater: I had the best Tex-Mex in Arizona - it may be border food but I still love it. Real Mexican food works even better for me - such as a nice Turkey Mole.
TitCheese: Thanks for the info!