Fajita night with hangar steak

Hangar Steak

I invited the boyfriend's parents over for dinner on a Tuesday night. Once we added in the brother and his GF, we needed to switch from Tuesday to Wednesday. I told my boyfriend's mom that I'd much prefer Taco Tuesday because 'alliteration, duh!' so she offered up 'Wajita Wednesday' and so it was... and MAN it was good - Premier Meat Market told me I'd dig the hangar steak - said it was the cut the ranchers usually keeps for themselves - and I totally get why now - YUM!

Method

1. 01Pat the steak dry and season generously with salt
2. 02Place on tray with paper towel, uncovered, and store in fridge overnight, up to 36 hours
3. 03Remove from fridge and sous vide for 2 hours at 130 F
4. 04Remove from sous vide and pat dry
5. 05Add neutral oil to a pan over medium high heat and wait until visibly smoking
6. 06Add hangar steak to pan and sear on all sides, about 1-2 mins per side
7. 07Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes
8. 08Slice against the grain and serve!

Seared Mushrooms

I used to think mushrooms were good, but then I discovered what happens when you give them time in a dry pan instead of crowding them with butter. They turn deeply golden, intensely savory, and somehow even more mushroom-y. Now I think mushrooms are worth a happy dance!

These have become a staple on Wajita Wednesday, but they also remind me of the incredible Lion's Mane mushrooms I picked up from Our Family Farm & Dairy at the Tomball farmers market. No matter the variety, this technique lets the mushrooms do the talking.

Method

1. 01Add the mushrooms to a cold, dry pan; turn the heat to medium
2. 02Cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their moisture, the liquid evaporates, and the mushrooms develop a deep golden sear, about 10–15 minutes
3. 03Add the butter and orange zest; toss until the butter is melted and the mushrooms are evenly coated
4. 04Deglaze the pan with the tequila, scraping up any brown bits with a wooden spoon, and cook until the liquid has evaporated, about 30 seconds
5. 05Add salt to taste

Sautéed Onion + Poblanos

Method

1. 01Add butter to a pan large enough to sauté both the onions and poblanos
2. 02Melt butter over medium heat and add onion + poblano slices
3. 03Cook until onions are translucent and peppers are pliable

Refried Black Beans

I keep seeing all over my Instagram that beans are really good for you, but my boyfriend is extremely particular about beans - he doesn't usually like the taste or the texture, so my work is cut out for me. I decided to go for dry beans over canned (keep the metal taste at bay and get a less mushy texture) and used my chicken stock to flavor the beans because I know he likes my "chicken jelly!"

Method

1. 01Soak the beans per package instructions over night
2. 02Strain the beans
3. 03Heat the beef fat in a pan over medium heat until visibly smoking
4. 04Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes
5. 05Add the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
6. 06Add the beans and chicken stock; simmer about 30 minutes
7. 07Remove from heat and strain, reserving the liquid
8. 08Use an immersion blender to mash the beans adding the reserved cooking liquid as desired for a looser texture
9. 09Season with salt to taste

Mexican Rice

I never owned a rice cooker before I moved in with my boyfriend and didn't understand the need for it - get one - my boyfriend had one and forced me to start using it (I fought against it - I was so silly to do so and I'm not afraid to admit it) - the rice cooker makes the rice so you can forget about it - it's fantastic! And it cooks the rice to a way better texture than I could ever get!

Method

1. 01Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat until visibly smoking
2. 02Add the onion, carrot, and corn, cook until onion is translucent and corn is slightly blackened, about 10 minutes
3. 03Add the garlic and cook to fragrant, about 30 seconds
4. 04Stir in the tomato paste; cook about 1 minute
5. 05Add the chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape up brown bits
6. 06Taste the chicken stock mixture and add salt to taste; you want it to taste like a good chicken broth soup
7. 07Add rice and chicken stock mixture to rice cooker
8. 08Cook according to rice cooker instructions

Orange Salsa

I wanted to make a sweeter salsa to go with my Cinco de Mayo dinner and this fit the bill. I dug through online recipes and asked ChatGPT for help to come up with my rendition of orange salsa. I asked my house cleaner to try it - she originally said no because she wasn't hungry, but once I said it was homemade she gave in and tried it - said it tasted just like a restaurant and then proceeded to eat half my afternoon snack!

Method

1. 01Preheat oven to 425 F
2. 02Remove seeds from jalapenos and reserve
3. 03Roast seeded jalapenos and shallot at 425 F until slightly charred, about 20 mins
4. 04Add the roasted vegetables, reserved jalapeño seeds, and the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend to desired consistency
5. 05Taste test, adjust, and blend further as needed
6. 06Chill in fridge for about 2 hours to allow flavors to marinate