Cast Iron Skillet Fajitas

I had a birthday recently, and one of the many fabulous presents I received from my wonderful and generous loved ones was a cast iron skillet.  The Southern girl that I am, I immediately made cornbread.  But then I got to thinking...maybe I could expand my cast iron horizons.  Maybe I could venture even further south.

I know I usually focus on Caribbean cuisine, but in honor of my friends in Cozumel, I decided to whip up some fajitas in my new skillet!  In the past, I've marinated my fajita steak at least overnight.  This time, I added alcohol to my usual marinade, allowing it to tenderize the meat during cooking.  I love when my experiments allow me to be impatient efficient!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup sweetened lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound skirt steak, trimmed, not yet cut!
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 medium yellow onion, julienned

Directions:

Combine all ingredients through olive oil in a large bowl.  You may be wondering what I mean by sweetened lime juice.  I suppose you could just use regular lime juice, but the sweetness mixed with the tequila and the spices made for a killer combination.  I recommend something like Rose's...

...which you should have on hand if you like making good mojitos. 

More on that later.

Once all of your "marinade" ingredients are combined, throw the steak in there and toss a few times until fully coated.

Heat cast iron skillet on medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles off of it.  Add steak and half of the remaining "marinade."  If you use thin cuts like I do, you won't need to cook it for long...I did about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Once brown, remove from pan.

Look at that tequila bubble!

Pour remaining "marinade" into the pan.  Add veggies to the pan and toss to coat.  Cook until onions are soft.

Slice the cooked steak into strips.  Slicing it against the grain and on the bias will help to make it more tender.  Reduce heat to low, and add steak to the skillet.  Stir everything together until evenly combined.

Serve immediately with tortillas (white corn tortillas pair nicely with this recipe), cheese (sharp white cheddar again, pairs nicely) and guacamole.

Using an ordinary skillet would work too, but this color only comes from cast iron!

looks good enough to eat

Mexican food is one of the most popular genres of food in America.  What's your favorite Mexican dish?