Renny?s Red-hot Fajitas Off the Griddles

Yes, the word is “griddles’, because Chef Renny Kranich had three (3) griddles all fired up to make her special formula of red-hot Fajitas. Twelve students learned Renny’s griddle techniques in the “Fajitas – Hot Off the Griddle” cooking class held last week in my gourmet kitchen in Boquete, Panama.

The Fajitas were made “volcano-style” on all three griddles at once! It was fun to see. Each participant’s assignment was to make Fajitas in their own kitchens during the coming week, so they were watching intently.

Before Renny prepared the Fajitas, she hand-made 24 flour tortillas by using this recipe:

Flour Tortillas

3 cups of all-purpose flour, unsifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup very hot water

Mix dry ingredients quite well. Add the 1/2 cup shortening and cut it into the dry mix. Slowly add 1/2 to 3/4 of the hot water, begin to knead. Continue adding water until the dough becomes slightly glutinous. Turn it out onto a floured board and knead, adding slight dusting amounts of flour until it makes a ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes. Pull off little mounds of dough and roll them out into tortillas. Cook on a medium hot griddle (Cure the griddle).

Then, Renny piled up the ingredients on 3 red-hot griddles and completed the Fajitas like this:

Fajitas

1 whole strip of filet tenderloin of beef

3 small-medium Zucchini squash

1 Jalapeño pepper chopped

1 large white onion

1 large purple onion

1 large green bell pepper

1 large red bell pepper

1 large yellow bell pepper

2 medium cloves of garlic

2 cubes of ice

1/2 packet of McCormick fajita seasoning

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

3 fresh limes cut in wedges

Sour cream

Heat a very large iron griddle on two burners on the stove, or do the same on a Jennair. While the griddle gets very hot, julienne cut the vegetables. Slice the tenderloin bacon thin, and make the slices narrow. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil onto the griddle and let it get very hot. Add zucchini squash and garlic to the griddle and move it about for less than a minute. Add both types of onion and move them about for a minute or more. Remember, your griddle should be HOT. Push the vegetables to a place on the griddle that is less hot. Add the three colors of peppers. Cook the same. With 2 spatulas, combine and mix all the vegetables. Push them to one side.

Pour the remaining olive oil onto the griddle. To this, add the meat, see photo above. Salt, pepper to taste. Add the McCormick fajita seasoning and mix/cook only the meat on the griddle for about 2 minutes. Pile the vegetables on top of the meat in a hill or heap and open a little ?volcano?- hole in the top. Drop 2 cubes of ice into the hole and close the hole up. The steam from the ice will make everything cook very fast. With 2 spatulas, combine and mix all the hot ingredients. Turn off the heat. Squeeze some limes into your ingredients, but do not cook the lime juice because it will turn bitter.

On a fresh, warm and pliable tortilla, scoop a generous serving of the hot mixture and place a dollop of sour cream in the middle. Fold over and serve with Pico de Gallo, lime wedges and sliced jalapeno peppers on the side. Invite a couple friends over for dinner soon and try making Renny’s “volcano-style” Fajitas yourself.

Everyone will love them!

Cora