Chicken fajitas

I absolutely love chicken fajitas but I dislike the ones that come from a packet. They taste odd! Jamie Oliver has a fantastic chicken fajita recipe which we tweaked slightly to our tastes. My partner loved this so much we now make it regularly, usually on a Friday night. They're filling so we always have leftovers (unusual in our house) and on Saturday mornings we make enchiladas!

Ingredients (makes 8 fajitas):
1 large red bell pepper
1 large red onion
2 limes
2 large free range (where possible) skinless and boneless chicken breasts
250g cheese, grated
300ml tub reduced fat sour cream
1 dessert spoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed, or use cumin powder
1 teaspoon hot red chilli powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 flour or corn tortillas, slightly warmed

For the salsa:
1 fresh red chilli, or more if you're a spice fiend
The best part of a pack of cherry tomatoes (we use pomodorino tomatoes)
1 small bunch of fresh coriander
Salt and pepper
1 lime


Method:
1. Cut your red bell pepper in half, take out the sides cut into thin strips (about 1-2cm thick)
2. Peel the red onion and cut into thin strips as above
3. Remove any fat or gristle from the chicken breasts and cut into strips as above
4. Put your strips of pepper, onion and chicken in a large bowl and add the paprika, cumin and chilli powder. Season with salt and pepper, and add a tablespoon or so of olive oil (I tend use the "glug" measurement system - this would constitute a "good glug"!)
5. While your chicken and veggies are steeping in the oil and spices, this is a good time to make the salsa. Finely chop the red chilli and roughly chop the coriander and cherry tomatoes. Add to a bowl with the juice of one lime, and salt and pepper. Fastest salsa ever!
6. Back to the chicken and veg for your fajitas. Heat a griddle pan to a high heat and put it all of the chicken, onion and pepper strips, along with the oil and spices they were marinating in. Use a pair of tongs to flip over the contents of the pan so they don't burn. Allow the chicken and vegetables to get a nice char on them, though - that really helps to bring out all the flavours. Continue to cook and flip until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the vegetables have started to become slightly tender, although it's of course nice if they have a bit of bite to them.

Serve your fajitas with the tortilla wraps, sour cream and cream, and of course that really quick and tasty salsa. I also make sure there is plenty of freshly chopped coriander to add, for extra adornment, and some more paprika and chilli powder for sprinkling! Jamie's recipe also includes what looks like a fantastic guacamole.

For leftovers we make enchiladas for breakfast or lunch the next day. All we do is this:

1. Take leftover tortilla wraps and fill with the leftover chicken, onion and pepper mix. Dollop on some sour cream.
2. Wrap up the tortillas as you would for a fajita and place them in a prepared baking dish (choose a size to fit how many wraps you have). I prepare it just by spraying with cooking spray so the wraps don't stick.
3. Take your leftover salsa (you may need and/or want to make more) and spoon it over the wraps.
4. Top with cheese, and cover with foil.
5. Place in a preheated oven (around 200 degrees centigrade) for around 15 minutes.
6. Take the foil off and allow the cheese to brown slightly for a further 5 minutes or so.
7. Take out and serve with yet more sour cream and fresh chillies!

A Birthday Treat: Mezzaluna and Board

For my birthday I was lucky enough to receive a lovely gift - namely a Nigella Lawson Mezzaluna and Mezzaluna board! Did I happen to mention I love Nigella? Anyway, the best presents are the items you would never buy for yourself, and I have to say I would never have thought to buy this - never thought I really needed it, or at least I could get by without it. This is not to say that I don't adore it - quite the contrary, and I was absolutely thrilled to receive it.

Each item comes boxed The mezzaluna is sheathed in a plastic wrapper with a button - very handy as that thing is seriously sharp! I must say it is quite a weighty implement, but that only serves to increase its chopping ability! I read in Nigella Kitchen that she liked the idea of a mezzaluna because it engages both of the user's hands, meaning they can't cut themselves.

The mezzaluna board is equally well designed, with its sloping, pool-like centre, which works in harmony with the curved mezzaluna blade, and means that whatever you are chopping (herbs, nuts, chocolate, chillis, anything) is less likely to escape from the board.

I like kitchen equipment that can routinely be used for more than one thing. I honestly don't think I would be comfortable with the idea of using this board and mezzaluna purely for chopping herbs. If that were the case, surely you would be better off using an ordinary knife, or a pair of scissors? Of course, there is always room for that, but the mezzaluna, at least in my house, will be utilised for all sorts of chopping scenarios. Chillies, especially. I hate chopping chillies with a knife because the heat gets onto my fingers, and being a forgetful sort of person, inevitably end up rubbing my eye. I also like the idea of using it to chop a large amount of ingredients for, say, a stir fry, which inevitably requires a lot of chopping.

The aforementioned mezzaluna and board can be purchased in the UK at Unique and Unity: http://www.uniqueandunity.co.uk/nigella-lawsons-living-kitchen/page/0/