Making Fajitas from Scratch

Today we’re making fajitas from scratch. That means also making homemade flour tortillas as well. No store bought stuff here.

So let’s start off with simple flour tortillas —

You will need….

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2/3 cup very warm water

5 tablespoons light flavored oil, melted shortening, melted lard or butter.

Flour and oil

Water and salt

Today we’re making fajitas from scratch. That means also making homemade flour tortillas as well.

No store bought stuff here.

Crumbly dough

Directions

MAKE TORTILLA DOUGH

1) Add the salt to the warm water and stir together until the salt dissolves.

2) In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the flour with the oil (or other fat) until it looks crumbly. Pour in almost all of the salty water and stir until a shaggy dough forms. If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more of the water.

3) When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured work surface and knead until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

4) Cover with a clean dishcloth and leave for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. Resting the dough makes rolling it out easier.

5) Divide the dough into equally sized blobs and shape them into small disks. Use a rolling pin to roll each small disk into 10 inch rounds. The thinner, the better. I also don’t worry too much about making them perfectly round. I press the tortillas in a large press with the uncooked tortilla tucked between waxed paper so they don’t stick.

6) Stack the rolled tortillas with a piece of parchment paper between them. Alternatively, you can roll and cook the tortillas at the same time. Roll one tortilla out, then roll the next tortilla out while it cooks.

Mixed dough

Dough resting under cloth

Large tortilla press

The large tortilla press can be found here.... Tortilla press

Pressing the tortillas

Cooking the tortillas

COOK TORTILLAS

1) Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the first tortilla. Within 20 to 30 seconds, you should start to see it puffing up with bubbles.

2) When the bottom of the tortilla has some brown spots, flip it and cook until the second side is browned in places and the tortilla looks dry around the edges. Each tortilla will take 1 to 2 minutes to cook. If this is taking a long time, increase the heat. If the pan smokes or browns the tortillas too quickly, turn the heat down.

3) Protect the cooked tortilla with a dishcloth and cover it, then continue with the remaining tortillas, adjusting the heat as needed.

Tortilla on the plate

Sliced peppers and onions

For the filler, slice up red and green bell peppers with onions — and sautee in a frying pan with a touch of hot oil. Simmer until they are just turning brown, and add some shaved or shredded beef. To this mixture add your spices and turn with a wooden spoon. I use turmeric, black pepper, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, and garlic. Once everything is cooked I like to sprinkle in just a hint of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce.

Filler in the tortilla

I spoon this intro a freshly made tortilla and top it off with some pico de gallo. Sprinkle on some shredded pepper Jack cheese and roll up the tortilla. What I like to do is preheat my panini pan and singe the outside of the rolled fajita to flatten it somewhat and add grill marks. A final sprinkling of Dave’s Insanity Sauce just adds a kick to the entire dish.

Chow time !

Of course what would any homemade chow like this be without a really good beer to chase it all down ? Traditionally you might want some Modelo Negro as your choice of beer, but I prefer a nice dry Guinness Extra Stout.