Fajitas and Italian Dressing
Tom Buesing
to make fajitas. My original recipe posting stated that Fajitas are
marinated and grilled skirt steak. A basic marinade would be oil, vinegar
and spices. There are a variety of different spices that can be used. So,
you can marinate the meat in anything you want. We have just found that the
italian dressing gives an excellent flavor, and is much easier than making
something from scratch.
So, once again, Fajitas are marinated skirt steak. You can use any marinade
you want. I would recommend italian dressing as a starting point in your
personal search for your favorite.
Tom Buesing
Scott Fisher
A Short History Of The Fajita
Fajitas, like nachos, are the invention of Mexican restaurants
in California, and as such can be made "authentically" with a
number of cross-cultural elements. The restaurant where I was
introduced to fajitas marinated theirs in garlic, cumin, oil,
Worcestershire sauce, and soy. (As a side element, and speaking
of Blade Runner, last week I had the wonderful experience of
hearing our Japanese waitress, in a Japanese restaurant in
Santa Clara, call our sushi order in to the kitchen -- in Spanish.
There's great eating in the melting pot of the Pacific Rim.)
You might try Lea & Perrins' white Worcestershire sauce as a
marinade for chicken fajitas, along with a little Shaoxing wine
and maybe some crushed fresh turmeric root. Then what the heck,
wrap it all up in a fresh chapati and serve it with a little
tuong ot-toi viet nam on the side, for those who like it hot!
--Scott "I lift my lamp beside the Golden Gate" Fisher
John David Auwen
>A Short History Of The Fajita
>Fajitas, like nachos, are the invention of Mexican restaurants
>in California, and as such can be made "authentically" with a
>number of cross-cultural elements.
I can't prove it, but I think this is wrong. I lived in California
and ate in many Mexican restaurants and never heard of fajitas until
I moved to Texas. They were becoming popular here but the rest of
the country hadn't heard of them yet. This was ~'76. Any other
fajita "sightings" outside of Texas before then?
Dave Auwen
au...@convex.com
Carol Miller-Tutzauer
"California version" which was described (cumin, garlic) didn't
sound anything like what I eat at the Lone Star Fajita Grill
nor what I have eaten in & around Houston, Dallas, San Antonio,
and other points South. Though I have seen lots of personal
variations, supposedly an "authentic" Fajita is marinated
skirt steak ("Faja" means "belt" and was a Texas cattle rancher's
term for this piece of meat; "ita" is a term of endearment).
The marinade consists of oil, lime juice (much preferred to
vinegar), and herbs/seasonings of your choice. This is why
lots of folks use bottled Italian dressing (even my Dad who
lives in Houston), because it is easy & tastes good, if not
perfectly authentic. They are served on warmed flour tortillas
with grilled onions and guacamole. Adding anything else to
them makes them "tacos" -- cheese, salsa, pico de gallo, lettuce,
etc. As for cilantro, lots of folks put some in the marinade;
others just whip up a good pico de gallo with lots of the
stuff and eat along on the side with their fajitas.
My guess is that you'll get as many different "authentic versions"
as there are cities in Texas -- and that's as it should be! :-)
Carol.
P.S. -- I suppose that next we'll be told that "California" is
the "home" of mesquite grilling. Hah!!!! Where does that
stuff grow primarily, may I ask. And who was there to have to
use it to cook with? Texas desert, and cattle herders,
respectively. Folks in Texas been using mesquite to smoke
brisket long before Wolfgang Puck even imagined grilled pizza!
bruce bowser
> In article <1773...@col.hp.com>, t...@col.hp.com (Tom Buesing) writes:
> |> I've received some interesting E-mail about using italian salad dressing
> |> to make fajitas. My original recipe posting stated that Fajitas are
> |> marinated and grilled skirt steak. A basic marinade would be oil, vinegar
> |> and spices. There are a variety of different spices that can be used. So,
> |> you can marinate the meat in anything you want. We have just found that the
> |> italian dressing gives an excellent flavor, and is much easier than making
> |> something from scratch.
> |>
> |> So, once again, Fajitas are marinated skirt steak. You can use any marinade
> |> you want. I would recommend italian dressing as a starting point in your
> |> personal search for your favorite.
>
> A Short History Of The Fajita
> Fajitas, like nachos, are the invention of Mexican restaurants
> in California, and as such can be made "authentically" with a
> number of cross-cultural elements. The restaurant where I was
> introduced to fajitas marinated theirs in garlic, cumin, oil,
> Worcestershire sauce, and soy. (As a side element, and speaking
> of Blade Runner, last week I had the wonderful experience of
> hearing our Japanese waitress, in a Japanese restaurant in
> Santa Clara, call our sushi order in to the kitchen -- in Spanish.
> There's great eating in the melting pot of the Pacific Rim.)
> You might try Lea & Perrins' white Worcestershire sauce as a
> marinade for chicken fajitas
Geoff Rove
bruce bowser
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
"canola oil, water, apple cider vinegar, distilled vinegar, salt,
extra virgin olive oil, contains less than 2% of parmesan cheese
(pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), sugar,
garlic,* spice, onion, * lemon juice concentrate, xanthan gum, mustard
flour, natural flavor, curry powder (spice, turmeric, mustard,
garlic)"
Makes you wonder what it would taste like without the addition of
"natural flavor".
--
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
<https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Laclos_by_Quentin_de_La_Tour.jpg?20201217134259>
Leonard Blaisdell
> Here's Ken's Greek Steakhouse Vinaigrette Dressing:
> "canola oil, water, apple cider vinegar, distilled vinegar, salt,
> extra virgin olive oil, contains less than 2% of parmesan cheese
> (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), sugar,
> garlic,* spice, onion, * lemon juice concentrate, xanthan gum, mustard
> flour, natural flavor, curry powder (spice, turmeric, mustard,
> garlic)"
> Makes you wonder what it would taste like without the addition of
> "natural flavor".
is simple enough. Alas, I'm too old to follow the dream :(
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
it.