Chipotle paste, which gives this fajita recipe its flavour punch, is my new favourite magic ingredient. Made of smoke-dried jalapenos, it adds a delicious, rich, smoky flavour to anything it touches. Bung it into lackluster chillis, stews or pasta sauces to bring them to life. It'll rejuvenate their flavour without making them super fiery hot - chipotle is more subtle than that. You'll find jars of chipotle paste in the World Food aisle (Waitrose) or the Funny Foreign Muck aisle (Asda), next to the Mexican dinner kits.Now, I'm not going to hate on the fajita kits you can buy in supermarkets, because they have provided me with a quick dinner on many occasions, but making your own fajitas genuinely doesn't take any longer. Plus you can buy enormous floury tortillas instead of the dispiriting plasticky one you get in kits, and big jars of salsa to replace the disappointingly small sachets.
Fajitas (makes enough for 2)
You will need:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp chipotle paste
- 2 peppers, any colours, cut into strips
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 200g Quorn pieces, or chicken breast cut into strips
- 1 lime, quartered
- Salad
- 4 soft flour tortillas, warmed in a microwave or dry frying pan
- Place the peppers, red onion, Quorn or chicken in a bowl. Mix in the oil, cumin seeds and chipotle.
- Warm a griddle pan or heavy saucepan over a high heat. Add the vegetables and protein and fry for around 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the veg softens and the Quorn/chicken is well cooked. This isn't a stir fry, you don't want those vegetables to be crisp.
- Serve immediately in the warm tortillas along with salad, a squeeze of lemon juice, and any salsa, guacamole or cheese that you fancy. Fold over the ends of the tortillas, roll up tight and devour.
"You'll find jars of chipotle paste in the World Food aisle (Waitrose) or the Funny Foreign Muck aisle (Asda)"
ReplyDeleteBecause Waitrose shoppers are worldly sophisticates, and Asda shoppers are xenophobic chavs? I know this is supposed to be a joke, but woah, budget restraints do not = intellect restraints.
Not at all - it was a comment on how the supermarkets label their aisles, not the calibre of shoppers. I was a happy Asda shopper til I moved house. It just always amused me that Asda called their aisle 'Ethnic Foods', which really tells you nothing at all about what it stocks. No intention to offend.
ReplyDeleteI do my shopping in Asda, and to be fair their 'Ethnic Food' aisle is excellent and full of treats. But there's certainly a feeling of 'we don't know where this should go, let's bung it here next to the organic lentils'.
ReplyDelete