Cookin’ w/ Jaheab – ‘Tajitas…the bastard cousin of the taco & fajita’

Jaheab · 03-10-2009, 10:53 AM

I’m not Latino. I’ve never claimed to be. However, I love cumin, chili, coriander, cyanne and, by extension, many Latino flavors. I tend to make food with this flavor profile when I am drunk. [This is not a reflection on the honorable inhabitants of Latin America.] These flavors are just really tastily after a dozen or two beers.

I’m calling this ‘Jaheab’s Drunken Tajitas’ (combination of tacos & fajitas).I named it this way because it combines fried corn tortillas (that you would usually see in a taco) with sauteed bell peppers and onions (that would usually be paired with a flour tortilla as a fajita).

The only thing that really makes this unique is the bean spread, which is the first part of the recipe. It can be prepared ahead of time and used in a couple of different ways (outside of this recipe) [example: bean dip (mixed with sour cream and/or cheese) or soup (thinned out with broth, served w/ crackers or fried tortilla strips)]. In this case you smear it on the tortilla shell before adding other ingredients. It’s ****ing delicious.

Bean Soup/Sauce:
·2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
·1 can Red, Chili. or Kidney Beans (rinsed and drained)
·1 (small) can tomato paste
·1/2 large Yellow or White Onion (diced)
·1/2 large Green pepper (diced)
·4-6 cloves garlic (minced)
·1 can beef broth [+ 1 cup water to cover beans]
·1 tbsp cumin seed (ground)
·1 tbsp chlli powder
·1 tsp coriander seed (ground)
·1 tsp salt
·1 tsp black pepper (ground)
·1 tsp cyanine (sp?) pepper (ground) [OPTIONAL]

1.Sauté onion, bell pepper, garlic for 5-10 minutes (edges brown, soft in the middle)
2.Add spices, toss over heat for 1 minute
3.Add the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine
4.Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer
5.Simmer 30 minutes uncovered, puree with hand/ bar blender. (Add water if it needs to be thinned out, simmer on low heat if you want to thicken it after puree)
6.Serve as a soup with fried tortilla stripes/crackers, use as a condiment (replace refried beans) on nachos/tacos/burritos/ fajitas

Bean Sauce coming out of the microwave for this dish

Marinade (will work for any meat):

Liquid [Equal Parts ==> 2 tbsp of each (for approx. 1 lb of meat):]
·Worchester Sauce
·Hot Sauce (or Chili Paste) [Recommended]: Saracha (Jalapeño) Sauce
·Pickapeppa Sauce (made from raisins, provides sweetness) [could sub with honey/molasses if needed]
·Vegetable or Corn Oil

Spices: [for ratio of liquid above: 1 part = 1 tsp (whole [pre-grind]) or 1.5 tsp (ground)]
(1 tsp [whole – pre grind] or 1.5 tsp [ground])
·2 parts Cumin
·1 part Coriander
·1 part Oregano
[1.5 tsp - ground]
·1 part Chili Powder (Chipotle recommended)
·1 part Salt

Trim meat of excess fat, cut into ½ inch (or smaller) sized cubes, place in plastic bag, add marinade ingredients, seal bag, shake/ toss/mix to combine. Let sit at least 2 hours (turning/mixing every 8 hours [if overnight]). Cook over high heat on a dry, heavy skillet - tossing constantly.

Terrible Picture of beef in marinade

Meat (Beef) Cooking:

Tortillas:
Heat 1/8 inch (depth) of veggie/corn oil over high 2-3 minutes. Add tortillas one at a time. 1 minutes on first side, 30 seconds on the opposite (punch down/deflate large air bubbles). Remove from pan drain on rack or paper towels.

Tortillas Cooking with meat in background:

Draining Tortillas on Paper Towel:

Peppers/Onions:
Julienne the remaining onions and bell peppers. Cook over high heat (with salt and pepper), tossing constantly in as little veggie oil as possible. [3-5 minutes]. They should be slightly brown around the edges but still crisp in the middle.

FINALLY!!!
Build a Tajita:

Layer in this order:
Tortilla ==> Bean Sauce ==> Meat ==> Veggies (Onion/Pepper/other) ==> Cheese ==> Condiments (Sour Cream, Salsa, Hot Sauce, Guacamole, ect)

Enjoy :