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Tex & Mex: Want a secret fajita ingredient? Try tequila

Web Posted: 03/25/2008 11:48 AM CDT

Bonnie Walker

Express-News Staff Writer

Fajitas: who says they need improvement?

Not I. But a splash of a secret ingredient might not hurt.

Recipe

• Tequila-spiked fajitas

Few dishes say "San Antonio" more strongly than a sizzling platter of fajitas and a side of homemade pico de gallo.

My homemade version uses fresh lime juice, salt, pepper and perhaps some slices of fresh garlic in the marinade. We toss the whole skirt steak on a hot grill, then enjoy the aroma while standing by with our cold beer. When the meat is cooked, we slice it into strips as quickly as we can and serve them on soft, fresh flour tortillas.

I have to admit I've never understood the attraction of the grilled green bell peppers on a Tex-Mex dish, any more than I can understand it when I order a chile relleno and get a stuffed bell pepper. (Yes, it happens, right here in River City.)

Poblanos and jalapeños softened on the grill, along with onions, is an adaptation that I enjoy more. (But I don't plan to invite defeat by launching a crusade to change the unchangeable in San Antonio.)

If fajitas are the signature dish among our local Tex-Mex restaurants, tequila has to be the signature drink, even if we only counted the number of margaritas sold here.

Which brings us to our secret ingredient.

If you want your beer and your tequila, too, while maintaining a dignified sobriety, I suggest adding a dash or two of tequila to the marinade for your skirt steak.

The proper response right about now should be "yum-yum."

Think of the mellow depth of flavor a reposado or gold tequila might add to the flavorful cut of meat. Author and herbalist Lucinda Hutson is one cook who loves to use the popular Mexican libation in cooking and promises it will hold up well to the flavors of most any food.

Finally, we all know that pico de gallo is the perfect accompaniment to fajitas. Try tossing a dash of tequila in there, too, if you're serving only to adults. In this case, a silver tequila might be suggested for bringing out the fruity flavors of the tomatoes and peppers.

A nice, straight shot of that reposado can be the reward to the guest who figures out your secret ingredient.

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