Although in northern Mexico ‘fajitas’ refers to a specific cut of beef, elsewhere in the world the term has come to describe a combination of sizzling pan–grilled chicken strips with capsicums and onions, wrapped in a flour tortilla. The dish has very little fat, but lots and lots of fresh flavours.
Ingredients
400 g skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon mild chilli powder
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
grated zest and juice of ½ orange
juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 cup (30 g) fresh coriander leaves, chopped
2 green capsicums, seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 medium–hot fresh green chilli, seeded and chopped, or to taste
2 tablespoons tomato passata
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper
Preparation
Mix well so that all the chicken strips are coated, then leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes, or while you prepare the rest of the dish.
To make the salsa, combine the spring onions, tomatoes, chilli, tomato passata, garlic and cumin.
Add the remaining chopped coriander.
Season with ¼–½ teaspoon lemon juice and some salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and preheat the grill to high.
Heat a ridged cast–iron grill pan or heavy–based frying pan until it is very hot.
Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.
Put in the capsicums and onions and cook for 6–8 minutes or until tender and lightly charred (do this in batches, if necessary).
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wrap the tortillas, stacked up, in foil and put into the oven to warm for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, spread out the chicken in a shallow layer in the grill pan.
Grill close to the heat, turning once or twice, for about 5 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
To serve, divide the chicken, onions and capsicums among the warm tortillas and roll up.
Garnish with sprigs of coriander and serve with the fresh salsa and sour cream.
Alternatively, present the ingredients separately, with the tortillas wrapped in a cloth to keep them warm, and let your guests make their own fajitas.
Here's a great new way to scramble eggs – cooked in a double saucepan or in a bowl over simmering water, without any butter, then mixed with crème fraîche for a creamy result. With strips of smoked salmon and fresh dill, this is the ultimate luxury brunch dish.
Flakes of smoked trout, cream cheese and fresh dill combine to make a well–flavoured filling for this light spinach roll. It is much simpler to make than it looks – just make sure that the spinach is squeezed really dry before adding to the sauce base.
The hollows in hard–boiled egg halves make perfect containers for a tasty filling – here carrot and chive – and the eggs look attractive served on a bed of ribbon vegetables and lamb's lettuce. All you need is some bread to make a satisfying lunch.
For these delectable chilli–flavoured omelettes, the eggs are whisked with cornflour to give them a slightly firmer texture, suitable for folding round a colourful and tasty filling of stir–fried vegetables and rice noodles.