Unless you’re vegetarian, you probably enjoy a good steak fajita. I know I sure do. It’s such a fun dish to order at a restaurant. Its sizzling sounds, the strong smell of Latin-spices, the crunch of peppers and onions, and of course the flavor of all these ingredients when eaten together make this dish a complete sensory experience. Luckily we can replicate most of this experience in our home kitchens quite easily. I can’t promise you the sizzling hot plate, but my homemade steak fajitas recipe packed with peppers, onions, and roasted tomatoes will beat trekking out to your Tex Mex joint any night (except for the Mariachi band. Your iPod will just have to fill in for that).
We start with a marinade packed with Latin spices that you probably already own – ground coriander, cumin, and cayenne. Best of all, this marinade does double duty and is used for both seasoning the steak and the vegetables. Remember, always look for ways to cook smarter, not harder. For the steak I like to use flank, skirt, or hangar. I typically just look for what’s on sale or looks fresh at the market. If you’re not so into red meat, substitute it with another protein. For my vegetarian husband, I sliced up some super-firm tofu and used the same marinade and cooking methods. Definitely consider this more of a “fajita cooking formula” rather than a specific fajita recipe.
After the fillings are covered in our spice marinade, the steak gets a nice sear and then roasted in the oven with some tomatoes. The same pan we used for searing the steak gets returned to the stove and used to saute our peppers and red onion making clean-up relatively minimal. For a fun family dinner night, just have a buffet line of all the fixings and have each family member wrap up their fajita fixings in a warm tortilla and finish with whatever toppings they like. And don’t forget the mariachi music.
Helpful tools: 1) Cast iron skillet; 2) Baking pan