Beef Fajitas

Preparation

1. Fajitas are traditionally made with wheat tortillas. They’re easy to make at home yourself. That said, and I agree with this, you can buy them in any store: get palm-sized ones, 15–18 cm across, they’re the handiest.

2. Go for fairly fatty beef, neck or the edge of the shoulder. Buy beef that isn’t too old, but not veal either. Get plenty of bell and chili peppers, ideally in different colors, to please the eye.

   

3. Next, decide what you’ll fry the meat and vegetables on. A griddle or a big flat-bottomed frying pan is ideal: easy to stir the food and you need less fat. Rinse the beef and pat it dry with a paper towel. On a cutting board, use a sharp knife to cut the meat into thin strips 6–7 cm long and 1.5–2 cm wide. Cut against the grain.

   

Fry the meat and vegetables

1. Pour olive oil into the pan and heat it. Add the meat to the hot oil, trying to keep the strips from sticking together. Fry, stirring often, until browned. That usually takes 10–12 mins. It’s important to fry over high heat so a crust forms that keeps the beef juicy for the fajitas.

   

   After frying, move the meat to a plate for now.

2. Peel the garlic and chop it coarsely. Slice the chili pepper into thick rings. Whether to remove the seeds is up to you; it mostly depends on how hot the pepper is. Add the garlic and chili to the pan with the oil left from frying the beef. You can add a little more olive oil if you think it’s needed. Fry the garlic and chili for 3–4 mins.

   

3. Peel the onion and cut it lengthwise into thick strips.

   

   Add the onion to the pan and fry for a few minutes, stirring the vegetables fairly vigorously. Season the onion with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Also add a quarter teaspoon of ground coriander. You can add ground cumin if you like, but that’s a matter of taste.

5. Remove the seeds and stems from the bell peppers and cut them into thick strips. If you use peppers of different colors, the mix looks bright and beautiful. Add the peppers to the onion and keep frying until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned. Taste the onion and peppers for doneness: they should have a barely noticeable bite.

   

Combine

1. Return the fried meat to the pan with the vegetables. Stir everything and fry together for a few more minutes. Then the filling is completely ready.

   By the way, note that the pan isn’t covered; the ingredients will release their juices and the filling will be moist. If you like, add some ground chili for extra heat.

   

   Don’t heat the finished filling for too long, and don’t overcook it. All the vegetables and meat should be soft and juicy.

2. If you like, add cilantro to the finished filling right before serving. Tomato doesn’t go into the filling, but you can serve tomato salsa alongside.

3. While the filling cooks, you can make the tortillas or warm store-bought ones on a grill.

   

Serving

1. Serve on a large plate or tray, with the filling in bowls, the tortillas, and small dishes of sauces or spicy salads. The filling and tortillas are traditionally served separately, unlike burritos, which come fully assembled and wrapped.