Fajita Friday

I was grew up with this dish being a Friday night favorite.

The part I love most about it is that you can be such a glutinous messy over stuffing fajita freak when you place all the ingredients out on the table. 

There are endless ingredients and salsas etc that you can make for fajitas. I always tend to go with the marinated chicken my mother used to make us but you could replace that for strips of beef, pork, fish (my personal favorite when I eat real fajitas in the States). 

The crucial parts to this dish is that you have tortillas (if you can get hold of corn then you are lucky - use 'em) guacamole, sour cream, beans or rice and some sort of protein - preferably marinated in some sort of mexican related spice mix. 

Here are the components I used - dinner for 2: 

Begin with marinating the chicken as it needs at least 30min to soak - if it gets 1 hour even better. 

Lemon & garlic chicken 

1-2 chicken files 

2 dl lemon juice

2-3 garlic cloves

salt

1. Chop the chicken file into cubes/chunks - what ever size you prefer - place in a bowl or a plastic bag.
2. pour the lemon juice over the chicken and add a good pinch or two of salt - this will help the chicken absorb the juice. 
3. Add the minced garlic and mix so that the chicken gets evenly covered. 
4. Allow to sit in the fridge for at least 30min. 

Guacamole

1-2 ripe avocados

1 handful of coriander

1/2 garlic clove

1/2 red onion 

1 juice lime 

1/3 fresh chili or 3-6 drops tabasco - depending on how hot you want it

*optional - cherry tomatoes

salt & pepper

1. Halve and pit the avocados and place in a bowl. 
2. Chop the onion into small small cubes - this is essential as having large chunks of raw onion is not nice - add the the avocados 
3. Mince the garlic into the avocado, onion mix. 
4. Add the salt & pepper, lime juice and chopped chili or tabasco. 
5. If you choose to add the tomatoes chop these into half and then into quarters - add to the mix.
6. Using the back of a fork mash all the ingredients together making as smooth or chunky a guacamole as you like. 
7. Finally chop and add coriander to the guacamole. 
8. Taste! It might need more lime juice, and if the avocados aren't creamy add a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 

Fried paprikas

1 red paprika 

1 green paprika 

1 yellow onion 

drizzle of olive oil or other cooking oil

salt & pepper

1. Slice the paprikas in half and remove the inside seeds.
2. The slice the paprikas into long sticks
3. Slice the onion in half and slice into long slivers
4. Heat a pan and add the the oil and the paprika and onion. Fry on medium heat for 6-8min, then lower heat for another 3-5min. You want the parikas and onions soft.

Smokey fried beans

2dl black beans

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp smokey paprika powder

salt & pepper

1. Place the beans in a pan and the smoked paprika powder and on a low heat coat/fry the beans in the powder. This should take no longer than 40-50 seconds. 
2. Add the water and salt & pepper, keep on medium heat and stir continuously to avoid burning. 
3. The beans are done after 2-3min. 

side extras

matured cheese - grated

sour cream 

* optional - tomato salsa (using cherry tomatoes chop into quarters, add lime juice, chopped coriander and some chopped red onion) 

* optional - brown rice

* optional -chopped up cucumber

* optional -chopped up ice berg salad

Tortillas
3-6 tortillas - depending on how glutinous you are
Heat/toast the tortillas in a dry frying pan.  Approx, 1min per side.


FINALLY - Essembly
Place all the goodies on your dinner table and start pilling it all onto your crisp and warm tortilla.
A cold beer or even a small shot of tequila will only enhance the experience.