While digging through the freezer in search of an elusive ham bone, I ran across a couple of skirt steaks left over from a bull butchered in 2014. I’m sure the meat is still good, but wanted to cook it sooner rather than later.
I haven’t used the cola marinade in a while, but decided that if ever phosphoric and/or carbonic acids were needed, it would be to marinate those steaks. Also, the sugars in the cola carmalize on the meat when grilled at high-heat making a deliciously crunchy crust or bark.
Beef Fajitas
2 lbs. beef skirt steak
2 onions, julienne sliced
2 green peppers, julienne sliced
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 cans cola
1 Tbsp. Creole seasoning
3 lemons, cut in half and juiced
Combine all ingredients, including the lemon halves, in a large sealable plastic bag. Refrigerate in a casserole pan over night or at least 8 hours.
About 30 minutes before grilling, remove the skirt steak, use a paper towel to dry it off and let it come to room temperature. Then grill at medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side. Remove and let rest.
Strain the onions and green peppers and discard the rest of the marinade. Saute the onions and green peppers in a cast iron skillet until lightly browned.
Thinly slice the steak across the grain. Serve with tortillas, grated cheese, sour cream, sliced avocados, etc.
I never did find a ham bone in the freezer, but a friend had a spare. Thank goodness for friends, because I can’t make black-eyed peas without that bone. I usually make a vegetable soup with the peas. This time I also reserved about 2 cups of the cooked peas to make a salad. The fried Kalamata olives really made it interesting.
Black-eyed Pea and Kalamata Olive Salad
2 cups or 2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. Kalamata olives, cut in halves
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
3 green onion tops, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet and fry the olives for about 3 minutes or until they blister. Pour the oil and olives over the black-eyed peas in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate and serve cold.