Fajitas Italiano

This fajita variation with Italian salsa and Italian marinade fuse with the classic Tex Mex dish that has become a regular part of many American diets. I’ve cut down the grilling time by slicing the flank steak before grilling and I’ve marinated the steak in an Italian marinade that my mother taught me. Combine these preparation techniques with the Italian Salsa and you have a unique fusion of Tex Mex and Italian food. Marinating the steak is a wonderful way to infuse flavor into the meat and tenderize it at the same time. You can use the marinade in this recipe with london broil, strip steak or any other steak you want.

Makes 4 servings of 2 fajitas each.

Salsa Ingredients *
1 dry pint Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
½ C Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, chopped
3-4 fresh leaves Basil, chopped or ¼ tsp Dry Basil
2 cloves Garlic Confit, minced (or 1 clove raw garlic)
1.5 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBS Aged Balsamic Vinegar
¼ tsp Dry Oregano
¼ tsp Table Salt
5 grinds Black Pepper
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)

Marinade Ingredients *
½ C Balsamic or Red Wine Vinegar
½ C Dry Red Wine
2 TBS Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 tsp dried Oregano or 1 TBS fresh Oregano chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Ingredients
2 lb Flank Steak
2 lg Red Bell Peppers
2 TBS Olive Oil
½ tsp Kosher Salt
2 Medium Yellow Onions
Canola Oil for grill
8 Tortillas
1 C Shredded Fontina Cheese
1 C Sour Cream

* Pronto Substitutes

Sliced Flank Steak – You can marinate the flank steak whole and slice it after grilling.
Italian Salsa – You can substitute your favorite salsa.

To prepare the salsa, cut the tomatoes into a small dice. Add chopped parsley through jalapeno pepper. Marinate 1-24 hours before serving.

Place the marinade ingredients into a container and shake it until mixed.  Pour the mixture into a Ziploc bag.  Slice the flank steak into ½ thick strips against the grain. Add the meat to the marinade and let it marinate at least 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. NOTE: You can marinate the meat up to 24 hours in advance if kept covered in the refrigerator.

Clean and remove the seeds from the red bell peppers. Cut into 1 inch slices. Heat 2 TBS of olive oil in a large skillet and add the sliced bell peppers. While the peppers are cooking, peel the onions, cut them in half, and create ½ inch slices. Add the sliced onions and the ½ tsp of kosher salt to the pan with the cooking peppers. Continue to cook until the onions are translucent and the peppers are tender.

Heat your grill to medium high heat. Oil the grill with canola oil to prevent the steak from sticking. Grill the marinated flank steak strips just until they have grill marks. Do not overcook or the steak will be dry and tough.

Heat the tortillas according to the package directions.

Top each tortilla with 2-3 pieces of grilled steak, peppers and onions, Italian Salsa, shredded Fontina, and a dollop of sour cream.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Fajitas Italiano.

www.nickverna.com

www.italian-fusion.blogspot.com

casaverna@nc.rr.com

Copyright © 2011 by Nicholas Verna. All Rights Reserved. No part of this recipe may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the author.