Steak Fajitas!

I was recently watching an episode of Jerry Seinfeld's online show "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" where Jerry told his guest that he had "never been so out-ordered in his life" (at a restaurant).

I think there are few foods that turn more heads and induce an "Oh, I should have ordered that!" response than fajitas.  When you see that hot cast-iron skillet traveling through a restaurant, leaving a delicious steam trail behind, part me of always regrets not ordering one myself.

Thanks to our friend Farmer Eric's pepper planting hobby, we had some nice locally grown bell peppers and spicy peppers to cook up. I bought a sweet candy onion at the Farmer's Market, and I was ready to go!

I sliced the onion and peppers into slightly larger than julienne-sized strips.

I wanted them to be small enough to cook through, yet large enough to give a nice bite when you wrap up your fajita.

Normally I grill almost all proteins in the summer outside. But it was around 96-degrees with unbearable humidity, so I got out my seldom-used cast-iron grill pan.  (This will also assist in the presentation later.)

I heated the skillet up to about medium-high setting because I wanted to flash sere the meat while keeping the inside nice and tender.  I cut up an Angus flat iron steak into bite-sized pieces.

For my meat lovers out there:  doesn't that look beautiful?  Look at that great color and some nice marbling running through (fat = flavor).  Then I liberally seasoned it with cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt,  and pepper.

I put a little vegetable oil in my pan to help with what I'm calling a "flash sere" process.  Vegetable oil is better than olive oil here because it has a higher burning point.  You don't want your oil to burn because a.) you could start a grease fire, and b.) your food will taste acrid.

This was quite a scene, let me tell you. The meat cooked so fast that it literally only took like 2 minutes.  There was so much steam coming off the stove top that I had to open a few windows and really crank up the hood fan.

I transferred the meat to a plate to let it rest.  It will continue cooking a little while resting. And if you have a larger piece of meat, the resting process will help ensure that you don't loose all that wonderful moisture when you slice into it.

I cooked down the peppers & onions in the same pan to soak up some of that great flavor.  I also seasoned them well with salt & pepper.  I let them get almost caramelized to really soften them up and bring out some nice sweetness.

I brought the steaming skillet over to the dinner table and then mixed the meat in with the veggies.  I also heated up some flour tortillas in the microwave at about a 0.7 power level, then covered them with a damp paper towel to keep them warm.

These were fantastic! The steak was super tender, well-seasoned, and juicy. The cumin and spices really gave a great smoky & spicy flavor, and that sered outside gave it a wonderful crust.  We served the fajitas with a little sour cream and some pickled peppers from Farmer Eric's stash.

You can add lettuce, salsa, and hot sauce if you want.  But I would avoid added shredded cheese because then you're moving close into taco territory.  Let the fajita stand alone and your steak, peppers, and onions will shine through.