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Fajita Meets Taco

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The return of oscar winning actor Tom Hanks to Australia sparked a debate in Queensland聽parliament on Sept. 9 between Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Liberal National Party parliamentarians over Queensland’s mandatory quarantine program. American Actor, Hanks, 64 arrived at Coolangatta’s Gold Coast Airport in Queensland on Sept. 8 to resume filming for director Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic, five months of testing positive for COVID-19. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles and Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young arrive at a press conference to give an update on Queensland COVID-19 Border Controls in Brisbane, Australia on June 30, 2020. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)It was expected that Hanks would undergo mandatory hotel quarantine like all new arrivals. However, an exemption to the rule enables industry groups like the…

Fajita Meets Taco

I call these fajitas, but are they actually tacos? Perhaps they’re a little of both. What’s the difference, you may ask?

Very generally speaking, fajitas are traditionally made with grilled meat, often skirt steak, or chicken and saut茅ed peppers and onions. The ingredients are presented deconstructed, ready for assembly in soft flour tortillas. Tacos traditionally include ground meat, lettuce, tomato, and cheese assembled in a fried corn tortilla. As for similarities, both fajitas and tacos include salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese as optional accompaniments.

Now, depending on the region of origin, the cook, and everyone’s (naturally correct) opinion, all sorts of variations abound. So, with that caveat, I suggest that this recipe with grilled skirt steak and flour tortillas leans more to a fajita … with a spin.

In this version, the grilled onions and peppers are missing. In place, a fresh and chunky black bean and corn salsa is added. And don’t worry鈥攁ll the usual accompaniments, such as guacamole, tomato salsa, sour cream, and cheese are included as well.

Skirt Steak Fajitas

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes, plus marinating time

Serves 4 to 6

For the Marinade

  • 1/4 cup olive or canola oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 5- or 6-inch pieces

For the Black Bean and Corn Salsa

  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
  • Corn kernels from one ear of fresh corn (or 1 cup defrosted frozen corn)
  • 2 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • Juice of one lime
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To Assemble

  • Soft flour tortillas, warmed
  • Optional garnishes: tomato salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, grated cheese, fresh cilantro, lime wedges

Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.

Place the skirt steak in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over the steak and turn to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, turning once or twice. Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a bowl. Stir to combine and taste for seasoning. Refrigerate until serving.

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat. Remove the skirt steak from the marinade and grill over direct heat 6 to 8 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the steaks against the grain in thin strips.

Serve the steak with warm tortillas, the black bean and corn salsa, and other toppings, such as guacamole, tomato salsa, cilantro sprigs, sour cream, and lime wedges.

Lynda Balslev is a cookbook author, food and travel writer, and recipe developer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lives with her Danish husband, two children, a cat, and a dog. Lynda studied cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris and worked as a personal chef, culinary instructor, and food writer in Switzerland and Denmark. Her favorite activities include hiking, cooking dinners for her friends and family, and planning her next travel destination. Copyright 2020 Lynda Balslev. Distributed by Andrew McMeel Syndication.

Focus News: Fajita Meets Taco

Fire Destroys Overcrowded Greek Refugee Camp, Forces Thousands to Flee

LESBOS, Greece鈥擳housands of migrants fled fires on Wednesday that tore through an overcrowded camp under coronavirus lockdown on Greece’s island of Lesbos. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called ministers to an emergency meeting but there were no immediate reports of casualties. The fire broke out at Moria camp just after midnight Tuesday, fire officials said. By early morning, most of Moria was a smouldering mass of burnt containers and tents, with a few people picking through the debris for their possessions, television footage showed. The European Union stood ready to assist Greece “in these difficult times”, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said in a tweet after speaking to Mitsotakis. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear. Authorities were investigating whether there was arson. Moria was “probably totally destroyed”, Migration…