Subject: RECIPE: Fajitas
From: [email-masked] (Elaine Rich)
To: reid
Date: 26 Sep 86 03:30:38 GMT
Newsgroups: mod.recipes

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.RH MOD.RECIPES-SOURCE  FAJITAS M "20 Jul 86" 1986
.RZ "FAJITAS" "Barbecued skirt steak marinated in lime: a Tex-Mex favorite"
Fajitas originated in Texas as a way to make cheap meat palatable.
Unfortunately, it was too successful. It is still palatable, but
because the word is out that fajitas are so delicious, the meat isn't
cheap any more. Because this is not a traditional Mexican dish but a
recent invention of Mexican immigrants, there is no fixed formula for
it. Many different kinds of marinade are used; this one is adapted from
a recipe given to a friend over the phone by Tortuga's in Austin, Texas.
.IH "serves 8"
.IG "3 lb" "skirt steak" "1.5 kg"
.IG "2" "large yellow onions"
.IG "2 Tbsp" "vegetable oil" "30 ml"
.IG "16" "whole-wheat tortillas"
.IG "2 cups" "grated cheese" "250 g"
.IG "3 cups" "guacamole" "600 g"
.SH		MARINADE
.IG "1 cup" "lime juice" "250 ml"
.IG "1 Tbsp" "ground black pepper" "15 ml"
.IG "2 Tbsp" "garlic," "20 g"
minced
.SH		PICO DE GALLO
.IG "\(12 cup" "fresh cilantro,"  "20 g"
chopped
.IG "2" "scallions,"
chopped (green onions)
.IG "2" "large tomatoes,"
chopped
.IG "1 tsp" "garlic," "5 g"
minced
.PH
.SK 1
Combine marinade ingredients in a large glass baking dish.
.SK 2
Peel the fatty membrane from both sides of the skirt steak. This requires a
very sharp knife. Add meat to marinade and marinate for at least 4
hours, preferably overnight. Keep it in the refrigerator if you
marinate overnight.
.SK 3
Make the \fIpico de gallo\fR: combine all of the ingredients in a small
serving bowl.
.SK 4
Slice the yellow onions into
.AB "\(14-inch" "5-mm"
slices, and cut each slice into a semicircle.
Grill the meat until  it is cooked slightly less than the way you like
it. Meanwhile, saut\z\(aae the onions in the oil until they are soft.
Use a large frying pan that will have enough room for the meat later.
.SK 5
After removing the meat from the grill, slice it into strips that are
cut across the grain. The strips should be 
.AB "3\-4 inches" "12\-15 cm"
long and
.AB "\(14 inch" "5 mm" 
thick. Add the strips to the onions in the pan, and fry for another
minute or two.
.SK 6
Place on the table the pan full of meat, the bowl of \fIpico de
gallo\fR, a basket with the tortillas, a bowl with the guacamole, and a
bowl with the grated cheese. You may wish to provide \fIpicante\fR
sauce in addition.
.SK 7
Each person makes her own fajita by taking a tortilla, spooning some of
the meat onto it, then adding her choice of each of the other
ingredients in whatever combination she wants.
.NX
Skirt steak is somewhat like flank steak: somewhat tough, and with a
very stringy texture. It is covered on both sides with a fatty membrane
that must be removed or the meat will be very tough. The key to good
fajitas is the proper removal of this membrane.
.PP
Fresh-squeezed lime juice is best, but bottled will do. 
.PP
Some people from out of state
choose to put sour cream on their fajitas. 
.SH RATING
.I Difficulty:
easy.
.I Time:
45 minutes preparation, several hours marinating, 10 minutes cooking.
.I Precision:
no need to measure.
.WR
Elaine Rich
Microelectronics and Computer Technology Co., Austin, Texas
[email-masked]