Beef Fajitas
I whipped up a delicious and saucy dish that was a hit with my loved ones. It turned out to be a flavorful culinary adventure that's sure to become a regular on our dinner table.
I whipped up a delicious and saucy dish that was a hit with my loved ones. It turned out to be a flavorful culinary adventure that's sure to become a regular on our dinner table.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 small onion sliced
- 300 grams sirloin or flank steak very thinly sliced
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled chopped
- 2-6 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped
- 1/2 can tomato paste
- 1 tbsp ancho chile powder
- 0.5 cup pico de gallo (or salsa)
- 1/2 can refried beans
- 6 tortilla shells
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 2 cups lettuce shredded
- 6 splurps sour cream
- Carbohydrate 93.1332954278609 g
- Cholesterol 15.0666666666667 mg
- Fat 11.0935138884628 g
- Fiber 15.425623840775 g
- Protein 21.2586611121976 g
- Saturated Fat 3.83349357597863 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (461g)
- Sodium 964.007609904476 mg
- Sugar 77.7076715870859 g
- Trans Fat 0.998087215336428 g
- Calories 537 calories
Step-by-step
- Chop the garlic, slice the onion and slice the beef. I used very thinly sliced steak (sliced by the butcher into thin steaks) and then cut them into thin strips. They were basically beef noodles in shape.
- Heat a large skillet and add the olive oil. When hot, add the garlic and onion and cook on medium high heat a few minutes until translucent. Add the beef stock, beef, chopped peppers, tomato paste, chile powder, pico de gallo and season with a little ground black pepper. Simmer on low 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Meanwhile, you should be heating up the refried beans. I plopped them in a small sauce pan on low heat.
- Heat the tortilla shells in a frying pan, oven or microwave. Serve with a column of beans in the centre, topped by a column of meat, layer of cheese and lettuce. You can also top with sour cream if you want. It would cut the heat a bit but I felt the extra creaminess wasn't necessary.
- Grab the napkins and roll a fajito as best you can. I'm terrible....
Beyond the Label
The ingredient list fails to mention how moisture content dictates the final sauce consistency. Water released from fresh onions and canned tomatoes must reduce properly alongside the beef stock. Simmering this mixture on low heat for ten to fifteen minutes allows starches in the tomato paste to gelatinize and coat the pan thoroughly. Without this reduction phase, excess liquid ruins the structural integrity of the tortilla.
Fresh Aromatics Versus Preserved Bases
Balancing fresh garlic and onions with canned chipotle peppers in adobo creates depth without unnecessary expense. Fresh garlic yields sharp, pungent organosulfur compounds when initially chopped, which mellow significantly during the ten-minute simmer alongside earthy ancho chile powder. Preserved chipotles contribute stable, concentrated capsaicin heat and smoky undertones that fresh peppers lack, meaning two to six peppers deliver scalable pungency depending on personal tolerance.
Preventing Common Execution Errors
Overcooking lean sirloin or flank steak remains the fastest way to ruin tenderness. Slicing the beef thinly against the grain shortens muscle fibers before they enter the hot skillet with olive oil. Cook the meat rapidly over medium-high heat until it just loses its pink color, preventing the proteins from seizing and turning rubbery inside the wrap.
