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Puerto Vallarta News NetworkEntertainment | Restaurants & Dining | October 2007 

No-Frills Cowboy Meal Becomes Family Favorite
email this pageprint this pageemail usKaren Fernau - Gannett News Service
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The Mexican cowboys of west Texas who first turned a cut of a steer tough as boot leather into a meal would be hard-pressed to recognize today's tonier versions.

Their fajitas consisted of the scrap meat of a steer, seared over the campfire and wrapped in tortillas. Ask for fajitas in Mexico City and you will probably be directed to the nearest lingerie store, says the American Dialect Society. That's because in Spanish, faja means "girdle" and fajita means "little girdle" or "little belt." It's the same piece of meat we call skirt steak in English.

"The meal was simple, the beef naked," says Michael Ludwig, the creator of Texmex.net, a Web site devoted to a cuisine that blends Texas cowboy and Mexican. "Theirs was a survival meal, nothing like what we now call fajitas."

Today, the term fajitas describes just about anything served rolled up in a soft flour tortilla, from shrimp to squash. This once no-frills vaquero (cowboy) meal is now seasoned with chilies and citrus and paired with slivers of onion, chilies and peppers.

Despite its radical remake, this Tex-Mex staple's appeal has grown in gigantic leaps since its creation in the late 1930s.

"Restaurants have done a lot to popularize fajitas, and now home cooks are discovering what the Texas cowboys knew years ago: They are a quick and flavorful meal that can be grilled in less than 15 minutes," says Amy Ahrensdorf, chef for SunWest Appliance Distributing Showroom in Tempe, Ariz.

The key is combining the right balance of flavors, from tongue-burning strips of chili to tangy lime marinade, she says. No one flavor should overpower the others.

For beef, the marinade should include acid ingredients such as lime juice to tenderize the meat. The best fajitas are made from meat marinated for up to 24 hours. Great marinades can include packaged seasoning, salad dressing and tequila.

"The glory of fajitas is that you can make them simple or elaborate, depending on whether they are for a quick midweek meal or for entertaining," Ahrensdorf says.

Leftovers? Slice last night's beef, chicken, pork or roasted vegetables and reheat on the grill for fajitas.

"I tell busy families that not only are they easy to make, but cleanup is a snap because there are no pots and pans," she says.

According to purists, the only true fajitas are made from skirt steak. And the meal is 100 percent Tex-Mex, not Mexican.

Pork Fajitas

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into strips 1/2-inch wide and 2 inches long

1 small onion, sliced

8 whole-wheat flour tortillas, about 8 inches in diameter, warmed in the microwave

1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

4 medium tomatoes, diced

4 cups shredded lettuce

1 cup salsa

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler to medium high or 400 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, oregano, paprika, coriander and garlic powder. Dredge the pork pieces in the seasonings, coating completely.

Place the pork strips and onion in a cast-iron pan or grill basket. Grill or broil at medium-high heat, turning several times, until browned on all sides, about five minutes.

To serve, spread an equal amount of pork strips and onions on each tortilla. Top each with 1 tablespoon cheese, about 2 tablespoons tomatoes, 1/2 cup shredded lettuce and 2 tablespoons salsa. Fold in both sides of each tortilla up over the filling, then roll to close. Serve immediately.

Makes four servings.

Recipe from Mayo Clinic.



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