FAJITAS (MEAT-FILLED TORTILLAS WITH HOT SAUCE)

Fajitas (Meat-filled tortillas with hot sauce) image

Provided by Craig Claiborne

Time 40m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

3 skirt steaks, about 3 pounds
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablepoon water
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
12 tortillas
Chipotle chili sauce (see recipe)
Red onion rings for garnish
3 large romaine lettuce leaves
Guacamole
Hot chili sauce (pico de gallo) (see recipe)
Mexican table sauce (see recipe)
Cowgirl beans (see recipe)

Steps:

The skirt steak should be as free of surface fat as possible. Place each steak on a flat surface, and carefully slice away most of the fat using a sharp knife. Trim well on both sides.
Cut each steak crosswise into three or four pieces, each about five or six inches long.
Place each piece of meat on the flat surface, and holding a sharp slicing knife parallel to the cutting surface, cut each piece of meat, sandwich-style, into two thin rectangles. Count on four or five slices per person.
Blend the garlic, lime juice, water, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spoon a small amount into a flat dish. Make one layer of meat slices and brush the tops with the mixture. Make another layer of meat, another brushing of sauce and so on. Continue until all the slices of meat and sauce are used.
Cook the meat slices over a hot charcoal fire about 2 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, heat another grill or a skillet, and add the flour tortillas. Cook briefly just to heat through without browning. They must remain soft.
To serve, arrange equal portions of the hot grilled meat on each of six preheated plates. Smear a generous quantity of the chipotle sauce over the meat. Garnish the top with three red onion rings. Cut each lettuce leaf crosswise in half and add a half to each plate. Spoon equal portions of guacamole (two avocados will produce the right quantities for these proportions) on top. Serve the hot chili sauce and the Mexican table sauce on the side. Serve the beans in individual small bowls to be eaten with a spoon. Serve the warm flour tortillas, covered, on the side.
To eat, add one piece of sauce- covered, garnished meat in the center of a tortilla. Add hot chili sauce and Mexican table sauce to taste. Fold left and right sides of the tortilla over the center to enclose the meat. Fold up the bottom edge to prevent dripping.