Cinco de Mayo

When M texted me Friday and asked if we should make something special for Cinco de Mayo, I got very excited for an excuse to make the best fajitas ever.  My Texas family introduced me to this recipe a few years ago and I've requested it every visit since.  Finding some of the ingredients is a little tricky but is totally worth the effort. 

Ingredients:
10 oz Worcestershire
5 oz soy sauce
1 bottle pica pepper
1/2 bottle Regina red wine vinaigrette (or Regina red wine vinegar works as well)
1/2 box light brown sugar
~2-3 T Fiesta brand Fajita seasoning (with green dot)
Meat: Tenderized Outside Skirt Steak
*I cut the marinade recipe in half for 1-2 pounds of skirt steak

ingredients

Whisk together all ingredients.  Marinate steak overnight.   Pour off excess liquid, grill until steak reaches desired done-ness.  Slice against the grain into strips. 

grilled fajita steak

Another Texas perk is the amazing tortillas sold in the HEB bakery.  I've always been unimpressed with the standard store-bought variety available in the rest of the country and I didn't want them to detract from our fajita experience.  The only solution was to make my own.  I combined a few recipes I found on the internet to come up with what worked for us.

To make the tortillas: Mix together 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp baking powder.  Cut in 4-5 T solid Crisco with a pastry cutter.  Slowly add in 3/4 cup hot water, while stirring to create a dough.  Form dough into a ball and knead for 1-2 minutes.  Separate dough into ping-pong sized balls and roll out very thin on a floured surface.  Drizzle nonstick skillet with evoo and heat over medium-high heat.  Place tortilla on skillet for around 30 seconds.  Flip and cook for another ~15 seconds.  The idea is to cook the tortilla without making it too crispy.  Place tortillas on plate under a tea towel.  The steam will soften them to the perfect consistency.  It takes a bit to get the hang of it but each one tastes just as delicious as the others.  So worth the little bit of extra effort!

homemade tortilla!

We served the fajitas with homemade guacamole, tomatoes, cheese, jalapenos and sauteed green peppers, onions, and mushrooms.  Everything was amazing and we ate till we were stuffed.

Even though we were full, we couldn't stop eating the doughy tortillas.  Our continuous nibbling gave us the idea to create a sopapilla-like dessert.  M fried up a tortilla in a little butter and coated each side with cinnamon and sugar.  Tasted like a chewier, doughier pie crust.  Delicious!