cooking

[Inchante]

Thanks, PA! We've been having fun! mile:

Thanks! Sure, I'll type them up and post them after I get a bit of studying done mile:

Scotty, are chocolate balls a cookie or a candy?

I haven't tried fajitas. Are they difficult to make?

As with most American dishes, there really isn't a single way to cook them (fajitas are what is called Tex-Mex). Some ways are more complicated than others. I mean, you could make your own tortillas (which I don't. I should try that some time). In the U.S. you can also buy seasoning already mixed up for you. I tend to like to make my own to taste, so I don't work from a set recipe. Traditionally, it is made using skirt steak, there is a historical reason for that involving how cowboys in Texas were payed, but you can make it with any type of steak and you can substitute chicken or some other type of meat. If you use skirt steak, be careful not to overcook it, as the cut tends to get tough and dry when overcooked.

Here is a recipe which claims to be simple and has good reviews:

Classic Tex Mex, fajitas (pronounced fah-hee-tas) are typically made with grilled strips of skirt steak with onions and bell peppers, and served sizzling hot with fresh tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. You can make fajitas with steak or chicken, or even make it plain vegetarian. Here's a quick and easy recipe for steak fajitas.

Steak Fajitas Recipe
Prep time: 1 hour, 10 minutesCook time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb of flank steak, skirt steak or carne asada
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced with the grain, not against the grain as one would normally slice an onion. Slice first in half, and then slice off sections a half inch wide at widest point.
2-3 bell peppers of various colors, stemmed, seeded, de-ribbed, sliced lengthwise into strips
Salt
Marinade:
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 fresh Jalapeño pepper, seeded, ribs removed, finely chopped (be careful not to touch your eyes or anywhere near your eyes after handling a Jalapeño pepper!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems
METHOD
1 Mix all marinade ingredients. Coat the steak with the marinade and let it sit at room temperature for an hour, or longer in the fridge. Before you cook the meat, wipe off most of the marinade and sprinkle the steak with salt.

2 Set a large cast iron pan or griddle over high heat and let this heat up for 1-2 minutes. Add the tablespoon of oil to the pan and let this heat up for 1 minute. Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. 3 minutes per side will yield approximately medium rare doneness for an average cut of flank steak. Carne asada and skirt steak will need less time. If the pan starts to smoke too much, reduce the heat to medium-high. You want the steak browned, not burned. Remove from pan and let sit, tented with foil, for 5 minutes.
3 Cook the vegetables while the meat is resting. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary, then add the onions and bell peppers. Let these sear for 1 minute before stirring, then stir every 90 seconds or so as the veggies sear. Cook for 5-6 minutes total.

4 Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices. If you slice the meat at an angle, you will be able to get your slices pretty thin. These cuts of steak are flavorful but can be a little tough, so thin slices will really help make it easier to eat.
5 Serve immediately with shredded cheese, salsa, shredded iceberg lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and warm flour tortillas. (Hint for warming tortillas - put in microwave over a paper towel for 20 seconds on high heat.)