Sauteed peppers and onions?

wellthenwhat

So I had a fajita from a local Mexican restaurant. I never cease to marvel at the flavor of their peppers and onions. Even without all the oil they have in, I could eat a whole bowl of just the peppers/onions/mushrooms mixture. Normally peppers are a little bitter, but when you bite into these, there is nothing but amazing fajita flavor. How do they do it?!!

seska422

They are caramelized. Yummy. Now I want fajitas.

dklibert

I have a recipe for a carne asada burrito. It starts with marinating the beef, then you sear it in a cast iron pan. You remove the beef to a platter to rest and add the peppers and onions to the cast iron pan. I will find the recipe and post. I think it would be close to what you are looking for. It was really good.

dklibert

I only made burritos once. I have used the marinade several times for fajitas, tacos, etc.

Carne Asada Burritos
Cuisine at Home (I think?)
Makes 6 burritos
Total time: 1 hour + marinating

Combine:
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup each canola oil and fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. each minced chipotle chile and adobe sauce
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. each ground cumin and black pepper

Add:
1 flank steak, trimmed (1-1/2 lb.)

Heat:
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 red bell peppers, sliced
1 red onion, sliced

Warm:
6 Burrito-size flour tortillas (10 inch)

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1-2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
6 Tbsp. purchased pico de gallo
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/2 cup oil, lime juice, chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic, vinegar, salt, cumin, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add steak to marinade; toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill 4-12 hours, flipping steak occasionally.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high until it shimmers. Remove steak (reserving 1/4 cup marinade) and season with salt and black pepper; cook 5-7 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to a cutting board; tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Slice steak against the grain.

Saute bell peppers and onions in drippings in skillet with reserved marinade over medium-high heat until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes.

Warm tortillas in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.

Divide steak, bell pepper-onion mixture, romaine, avocado, pico de gallo, and 2 Tbsp. cilantro among tortillas. Fold sides of tortilla into center, then roll edge closet to you over the filling; continue rolling and tucking in filling until enclosed.

Per burrito: 425 cal; 23g total fat (4g sat); 70mg chol; 484 mg sodium; 25g carb; 4g fiber; 28g protein

wellthenwhat

seska422 wrote: »

They are caramelized. Yummy. Now I want fajitas.

We actually carmalize our peppers and onions more than that, but they still don't get that flavor. They are good, but not that good, lol

seska422

wellthenwhat wrote: »

seska422 wrote: »

They are caramelized. Yummy. Now I want fajitas.

We actually carmalize our peppers and onions more than that, but they still don't get that flavor. They are good, but not that good, lol

Are you using a super-hot cast iron pan and enough oil? From what I can tell, they put the fresh veggies into the hot oiled pan and the veggies barely have time to wilt by the time they are caramelized and ready to serve.

I think the restaurant equipment and heat level are what make the difference but you might be able to get close, especially if you have a gas stove rather than electric.

wellthenwhat

My pan tends to get too hot, lol. My stove is a little wonky, and gets really hot too fast. I have to watch really closely or it'll burn. I don't wanna use too much oil or it kinda defeats the purpose of the veggies, lol.

Speziface

Try going low and very slow. Toss the veggies in just barely enough oil to coat them, throw in the seasonings of your choice, and cook over low heat. And by low heat I mean very low heat; if you hear any sizzling you're cooking too fast. Slow, quiet fizzing is what you want. It'll take a while, but the veggies will wilt, flavors will meld, and the natural sugars will caramelize. (You can add a teaspoon or so of sugar, nectar, or syrup if you want.)

wellthenwhat

Speziface wrote: »

Try going low and very slow. Toss the veggies in just barely enough oil to coat them, throw in the seasonings of your choice, and cook over low heat. And by low heat I mean very low heat; if you hear any sizzling you're cooking too fast. Slow, quiet fizzing is what you want. It'll take a while, but the veggies will wilt, flavors will meld, and the natural sugars will caramelize. (You can add a teaspoon or so of sugar, nectar, or syrup if you want.)

What kind of seasonings would you suggest? (I am still in the process of learning to cook)

junodog1

You can buy fajita seasoning OR you can look up a recipe online and make your own fajita seasoning. I like to make my own then I can tweak it a little.

Speziface

wellthenwhat wrote: »

Speziface wrote: »

Try going low and very slow. Toss the veggies in just barely enough oil to coat them, throw in the seasonings of your choice, and cook over low heat. And by low heat I mean very low heat; if you hear any sizzling you're cooking too fast. Slow, quiet fizzing is what you want. It'll take a while, but the veggies will wilt, flavors will meld, and the natural sugars will caramelize. (You can add a teaspoon or so of sugar, nectar, or syrup if you want.)

What kind of seasonings would you suggest? (I am still in the process of learning to cook)

A good pinch of salt and a generous grind of pepper at a minimum, but aside from that whatever you want. If you like heat then paprika, cayenne, red pepper flakes, or chipotle powder, but go light to start. Cumin and chili powder are good; that's basically what fajita seasoning is. Italian or Mediterranean herb blends are good.

Geocitiesuser

Normally peppers are a little bitter, but when you bite into these, there is nothing but amazing fajita flavor. How do they do it?!!

Having worked in the food industry in the past, you would probably cringe at the amount of butter/oil/lard/fat they cook with. Especially if they are cooking things in mass ahead of time.

If you're looking to bring out extra flavor from veggies without adding calories, you can try throwing in a splash of broth or some chicken bouillon, etc. But I'll bet almost anything that the peppers and onions you're trying to recreate are not only cooked twice, but completely saturated in some sort of fat like a combo of butter and crisco.

rdevol

I think lime juice helps bring out the flavor in fajitas, too.

Glossberg

Depending on how much peppers and onions you're making (I cut up three bell peppers and one onion) I use a blend of cumin (1tsp), chili pepper (1 tsp), garlic powder (1 tsp), and salt (1/2 tsp). Half of this blend goes on the veggies and the second half goes on the chicken. It's as good as any restaurant veggies for chicken fajitas I've had. I'd strongly recommend trying it!

Speziface

rdevol wrote: »

I think lime juice helps bring out the flavor in fajitas, too.

Yep. Forgot about the lime juice. Lemon or orange juice will work in a pinch; so will a splash of vinegar.

wellthenwhat

Y'all have given me some great ideas to try! Can't wait to experiment!

junodog1

And try roasting it in the oven instead of frying it up in a pan. For example: https://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/02/oven-fajitas/