by Craig Holbeck
Ingredients
2 fresh limes (juice from these)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of silver tequila, (I use one made from Blue Agave)
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded, and minced (optional)
1/8 cup oil (for pan frying)
1 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped, (optional)
1 - 1 1/2 lbs. skirt steak, trimmed of fat, figure 1/4 to 1/3 lb per person (I have also substituted stew meat instead of steak).
1 large or 2 medium yellow (or red) onions, peeled and cut in half and thinly sliced
3 large bell peppers, one green and one yellow or red, seeded and cut into thin slices (hence the stoplight colors)
1 tomato cut into wedge sized pieces (optional)
6 to 8 tortillas (8 inch flour or corn)
Condiments:
salsa
shredded mild cheddar cheese
sour cream
Guacamole
Shredded lettuce
Directions for the steak fajita recipe:
Pre-grill the meat to medium rare
In a plastic zippered type bag, add the first 6 ingredients and mix them well. Then add the steak. Slice the meat into 1/4 inch wide slices.
Place this bag in the refrigerator 6-8 hours (overnight is even better).
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Before we begin cooking the steak fajita recipe, look what needs to be done so that everything is ready at the same time.
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Here is what needs to be done as part of the steak fajita recipe:
The meat has to be heated before it gets served
The bell peppers and onions get fried with the meat (some people may also like tomato wedges with these)
Warm the tortillas just before serving so they are piping hot when served
Condiments need to be prepared (or procured) ahead of time.
Prepare guacamole, shredded cheese, lettuce, and salsa an hour or two before planning to serve the fajitas.
Place them in serving bowls and keep chilled.
Getting the tortillas ready:
I place 4 tortillas on top of each other & microwave them on high for 30 to 40 seconds. Microwaves vary, so experiment.
Now remember, you are not going to heat your tortillas until the last minute. If you have one of those tortilla keepers this is a good time to use it.
Heating it up
Drain the marinade from the meat through a colander.
Heat the oil in the pan on medium to medium high heat (a cast iron pan works well, so do griddles).
Have the bell peppers and onions close by. Place the steak in the pan and heat about 5 minutes. Place the peppers and onion (optional tomato and jalapeno would go here also) in with the meat. You could also do this in a grill pan on your grill if you want to avoid the frying).
Cook till veggies are translucent. Stir occasionally but let them brown a bit so they will have that nice brown grilled look to them.
Serving
Place the steak & veggies (out of the pan) onto a large platter, place all the condiments on the table. If heating tortillas, put them in now.
Eating Fajitas
Take a hot tortilla and add some steak, onions and bell peppers. Sprinkle some cheese and add a spoon of any of the condiments.. Don‘t use eating utensils this is grab it and growl eating!
http://homecooking.about.com/od/specificdishe1/a/marinadescience.htm
Marinade Science - How marinades work
Enzymes break down fibers to tenderize meats
By Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, About.com Guide
Marinades serve two different functions: as a tenderizer and flavor enhancer. You probably already know that some tough cuts of meat benefit from the tenderizing effects of marination, but how does it work? Take a look at how you can make marinades work for you before getting to the marinade recipes.
Marinade tenderizing science
The cooking process itself turns connective tissues into gelatin to varying degrees. Depending on the cut and type of meat, it may need a little assistance to bring it to a palatable range of tenderness. Certain plant and fungi enzymes and acids can break down muscle and connective proteins in meats. As far back as pre-Columbian Mexico, cooks found that wrapping meats in papaya leaves before cooking made for more tender results. The active enzyme in the papaya leaves is papain, now refined from papayas and commercially available. Connective tissue that comes in direct contact with the protein-digesting enzymes gets broken down.
These tenderizing enzymes also reduce the capability of the meat to hold its juices, resulting in greater fluid loss and thus drier meat. Enzymes are heat activated at levels between 140 and 175 degrees F. and deactivated at the boiling point, so it really serves no purpose other than flavoring to let meat sit in a marinade at room temperature. In fact, refrigeration is recommended to avoid the growth of harmful bacteria. Let meat come to room temperature before cooking.
Direct contact is the important point, since it is necessary for the chemical reaction to occur. This means that soaking a piece of meat in a marinade will only penetrate just so far into the surface of the meat. If you marinate a large cut of meat in a tenderizing marinade, you end up with a mushy exterior and an unaffected center. Puncturing the meat for the marinade to penetrate gives an uneven result, with the further undesirable side effect of allowing the meat to lose even more juices while cooking. Thus, flat cuts of meat benefit most from tenderizing marinades. Place meat in a heavy zip-top bag with the air squeezed out and turn it often to be sure all surfaces benefit from the marinade.
Some slaughterhouses now inject papain into the animals just before slaughtering. The injected papain is carried through the bloodstream to all parts of the animal and is later activated by the cooking process. This sometimes results in a mushy piece of meat due to the enzyme destroying too much of the muscle fiber firmness. The newest method being researched is a machine which immerses tough cuts of meat into a water bath and then sends a shockwave through the meat, breaking down tough fibers.
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