Steak fajitas after deliberations

Well, I finished serving on a jury for the first time in my life. It was a lot better experience than I expected. The wonderful people who served on the jury with me, really made it great. They ranged everywhere from as young as 19, all the way up to old grouches like me. It was close to half male and half female, and all were a pleasure to work with. The 3 day trial was interesting, and deliberations needed only a couple hours. All in all, it was a great experience.

During the time I was serving on the jury, I had to do all the paperwork from my day job, at night, which then had to be emailed. That didn’t leave me much time to cook and enjoy dinner. I had to concentrate on quick, easy meals. One of the nights, I opted for fajitas.

I love fajitas. I always have. Here is how I like to make beef fajitas, using nice little ribeye steaks. I like to use large burrito wrap tortillas, but you could use regular corn or flour tortillas for this. This recipe is for four. I know that most people don’t eat as much as I do, so you may have leftovers.

Seasoning mix

1 tsp. cajun seasoning

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. thyme

Everything else

4 ribeye steaks

Olive oil

1 large onion, cut into wedges

1 bell pepper, cut into strips

5 jalapeño peppers, cut into halves

1 zucchini, sliced

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

4 limes

Lots of burrito wraps (heated in the oven or on cast iron, and covered with a towel)

Preparation

Mix the seasoning mix well in a bowl. Season all steaks generously on both sides with some of the seasoning mix. Keep the remaining seasoning mix nearby for later in this recipe and for future use.

Heat a large cast iron skillet (big enough to hold all four steaks in a single layer) until it is very hot. I used olive oil because that’s what I had, but peanut oil would be better. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the steaks and sear them approximately four minutes per side so the steaks are medium rare. Remove the steaks to a platter in a warm place.

Heat the skillet again so it is hot. Dump all the vegetables into the pan and let them cook, stirring occasionally so they are charred in spots and sizzling hot. Sprinkle on a teaspoon of the seasoning mix and stir it in. Squeeze on the lime juice and stir until it is sizzling again.

Serving

Place the vegetables in a serving bowl and set them on the table. Place the tortillas on the table along with some lime wedges, soy sauce and hot sauce. Place one steak on each plate and let your dinner guests do the rest.

Sprinkle a little soy sauce over the steak. Take a burrito wrap and add some sliced steak. Now add in lots of vegetables. Squeeze on some lime wedges, and a little hot sauce, and roll it up to eat. A spicy Zinfandel, or an ice cold Riesling, are good choices for wine, or simple serve lots of ice cold beer.