4 garlic cloves minced and mashed with 1 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 and 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 and 1/23 skirt steak, trimmed and cut into large pieces to fit on a grill or rigged grill pan (flank steak also works) or chicken breasts
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 assorted colored bell peppers, sliced thin
1 large red onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 (7-8 inch) flour tortillas
Guacamole as an accompaniment, below
Salsa, store bought or home made
Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
1/2 small onion, minced
1 garlic, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp fresh lime juice, or to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 fresh or or pickled jalapeño chili, if desired, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, if desired
In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic paste, lime juice, cumin and olive oil. Add the beef or chicken to the marinade, turning to coat it well, and let it marinate, covered and chilled, for at least an hour or overnight for beef. Only for 1 hour for chicken.
Grill the steak or chicken, medium rare for beef and done for the chicken. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes.
While the steak is standing, in a large skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the bell peppers, and onions. sauté the mixture, stirring for 5 minutes or until the peppers are softened. Add garlic the last 30 seconds.
To warm the tortillas:
In the oven: stack: stack 4 tortillas at a time. wrap each stack in foil and heat the the tortillas in the middle of a preheated 325 degree oven for 15 minutes. (If the tortillas are dry to begin with, pat each each tortilla between dampened hands before stacking them.)
Slice the steak or chicken thinly, across the grain, on the diagonal and arrange the slices on a platter with the bell pepper mixture. Drizzle any steak juices over the steak and pepper mixture. Serve the steak or chicken and pepper mixture with the tortillas, the guacamole, and the salsa.
To serve a fajita: Spread some of the guacamole on a tortilla, top it with a few slices of steak or chicken, some of the pepper mixture, and some of the salsa. Roll up the tortilla to enclose the filling.
Guacamole
Halve and pit the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash the avocados coarsely with a fork and stir in the onion, garlic paste, lime juice, cumin, chili, and cilantro. The guacamole may be made 2 hours in advance, its surface covered with plastic wrap, and chilled. Makes about 2 cups.
Can serve with Mexican style Chick-pea Salad and frozen Margaritas
Yields: 4 servings
Joan's Notes: The best for a big crowd. Easy to prepare most of it ahead and let everyone fix their own fajitas.