Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Fast and delicious
--Weeknight Skillet Fajitas


Weeknight Skillet Fajitas
The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Copyright 2006

1 (1 ½-pound) flank steak, trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and sliced thin I used red, green, yellow and orange
1 red onion, halved and sliced thin I used sweet onion
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Tabasco
½ teaspoon cumin
12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

1. Pat the steak dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the meat on the first side, about 5 minutes.
2. Flip the steak over and continue to cook to the desired doneness, 3 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and drizzle with the lime juice. Tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the bell peppers, onion, water, chili powder, Tabasco, cumin and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.
4. Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Heat in the microwave until soft, and hot, 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
5. Slice the steak very thin across the grain. Arrange the beef on a platter and serve with warm tortillas, vegetables, and any desired accompaniments. Let everyone assemble their own fajita at the table.
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I had a smaller flank steak left in the freezer and I thought fajitas would be a good way to stretch it out. These didn't take much effort to prepare and they hit the spot. I was afraid of being disappointed again, since I have high expectations when paying so much for this cut of meat, but I was pleased. And even though the flank steak rubbed with Pickapeppa sauce was a bit disappointing last week, I used the leftovers in place of chicken on a bbq pizza and it was really good.

Since I used quite a few peppers and onions, this recipe is perfect for Sweetnick's ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday. I'm really trying to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables I eat. I always eat at least one vegetable with dinner but I realized I wasn't fitting in too many of them earlier in the day but I'm trying to change that. I have no excuse not to, with the great prices I've been getting at the 'auction'.

This cookbook is really one of my favorites. It's definitely a great one to give to anyone just starting out.

Blast From The Past: Burrito Burgers from June 2006. I made those on the GF grill - I should try them on the outdoor grill.

Question of the Day: Can you name every fruit and vegetable that you ate yesterday?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

You chose the right question for me today. Get a load of this: green beans, yellow and zucchini squash, cole slaw, okra and tomatoes (we ate at a buffet last night)and an apple.
Jan
P.S. I won't mention nibbling on the giant Father's Day Cookie.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a pretty good use for the flank steak. I still cannot get over how expensive that cut of meat is -- it used to be one of the "cheap" meats.

I almost always grill ours in a marinade of olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper (all whizzed in a food processor to blend well). I keep trying to find better marinades but with this one I'm guaranteed not to have any leftovers.

Fruits and vegetables yesterday?

Hmmm... bananas (2), tomatoes, capers, red onion, avocado, green onions. Guess that wasn't enough, huh?

Heather said...

Strawberries, peppers, spinach, lettuce, tomato, onion, garlic... how is that? Better than I would have thought.
I have to also agree with you on this being a great cookbook. It is one of the best in terms of tips and explaining thing. And I have given it as a wedding gift.

Sara said...

Sadly I can because I ate horribly yesterday - no fruit or veg at breakfast, broccoli tempura at lunch, and grapes at dinner. very bad.

ThursdayNext said...

strawberries, a nectarine, mushrooms, pearl onions, and cherries :)

Unknown said...

Let me think...spinach, mushroom, blueberry, blackberry, cantelope, strawberry, pineapple, tomato, portabello, onion

Anonymous said...

One banana and some grapes (the grapes came in a chicken salad). Wait, there were some little bits of celery and red onion in the salad. And maybe some bits of fruit in my power bar. Sigh.

Red Dirt Mummy said...

Hmmm.. fruit intake wasn't so good. Just a bit of apple and banana that I'd pinched from the kid's afternoon tea. Vegies weren't too bad because we had beef and veg hotpot for dinner so: onion, parsnip, turnip, tomatoes, carrot, pumpkin, potato, sweet potato and a couple of others I can't remember.

Wanda said...

Umm.....apple, cucumber, potato, tomato, lettuce.

Anonymous said...

This was a big hit in our house, too!