PALLADINO’S FAJITAS MEAL

A complete meal that serves 4 - 6 depending on appetites

Please read recipe thoroughly before beginning.

Note: Pre-cook rice, black beans, tortillas and prepare pico de gallo before beginning fajitas.  All recipes are listed below

Ingredients:

2-3 green peppers, sliced ¼ thick, lengthwise
2-3 onions, med. to large, cut in half and sliced to make half rings
2-3 med. tomatoes, sliced in ¼ thick half moons with seeds intact
3-4 scallions, sliced in 2 inch lengths, cut in half lengthwise
3-4 full chicken breasts (if using halves, use 6-8 breasts), deboned and skinned, sliced thin, about 1/8th inch
thick for quick frying or equivalent in tender beef
salt and pepper to taste
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 heaping Tbls. Chili powder
lemon or lime juice from ½ fruit
½ cup olive oil
organic sour cream for garnish

How to:

1. Place all sliced veggies on a large plate to be cooked.
2. Place chicken on a plate and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, chili powder, lime/lemon juice-mix together until coated.
3. In a large heavy skillet, add ¼ cup olive oil.
4. When oil is very hot, add onions, scallions and peppers and stir fry until just beginning to soften. Don’t over cook. Add tomatoes and stir.
5. Remove to a dish or bowl.
6. Add remaining ¼ cup of olive oil to same pan. When oil is hot, add chicken or meat.
7. Stir fry over high heat until browned and well done.
8. Turn off heat and add veggies to chicken or meat. Stir together and serve immediately.

Serving suggestion: Place two tortillas on a plate, add fajita mixture, sour cream and pico de gallo to each one. Place a scoop of yellow rice on the dish with black beans poured over the rice. Pico de gallo also looks nice on top of the beans.

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

4-6 cups freshly-ground whole wheat flour (use hard white wheat berries)
½ cup olive oil
2 cups warm water
2 tsp. Salt

You will need:

Rolling pin
skillet
olive oil or butter
or a tortilla maker

How to:

1. In a large bowl, mix together 4 cups of flour with oil, water and salt. Mix until well blended. Add enough additional flour to make dough firmer, but not hard. Dough should be a little sticky.
2. Cut into 16 even pieces.
3. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
4. Follow instructions for your tortilla maker or roll each piece of dough into a flat circle. Try to get these as flat as possible.
5. Cook in tortilla maker or in oil/butter in a frying pan until cooked through. If you desire, tortillas may be cooked until brown and crispy.
6. As each tortilla is cooked, stack one on top of the other on a cooking rack.

Serve warm.

Pico de Gallo alla Palladino

2 medium tomatoes, chopped small
1 med. onion, chopped small
juice of ¼ lime or lemon
1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped small
cilantro, one bunch, stemmed and chopped, about ¼ cup

Mix above ingredients and set aside until ready to serve or refrigerate.

Black Beans Palladino

Ingredients:

1 - 2 cans (14.5 oz) black beans, or black bean soup (or make from scratch)
bay leaves, 1 leaf for each can of beans
½ medium onion, chopped (double for 2 cans of beans)
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt/pepper to taste
1/4 - ½ tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1/4 green pepper, chopped (double for 2 cans of beans)
1/8 cup olive oil (double for 2 cans of beans)
½ Tbls. balsamic vinegar or wine vinegar (double for 2 cans of beans)

How to:

1. In small pot, add olive oil and sauté onions, pepper and garlic.
2. Add salt, pepper, bay leaves, vinegar
3. Add beans and simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.

Arroz Amarillo a Minuto Palladino

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati white rice (regular white rice will do)
3-1/2 cups water
salt to taste
1/4 - ½ tsp. Turmeric
1 pinch saffron pieces, optional

How to:

1. In a small saucepan with tight fitting lid, add rice, salt, water, turmeric and saffron.
2. Bring to a boil and stir one time to loosen rice from bottom of pot.
3. Cover and reduce heat to low or simmer.
4. Cook for 15 minutes.
5. Fluff with a fork. Remove from heat.