Beef Fajitas

Fajitas come out of Mexican cooking, and they sit comfortably on almost any table. Few ingredients, a lot of flavor, and the whole thing comes together in one pan.

The colored peppers do most of the visual work — this is a dish that looks like effort without being one. Serve it with warm tortillas or lavash and let people build their own.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb beef, sliced thin against the grain (skirt, flank or sirloin)
4 medium onions
1 red bell pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Slice the beef into thin strips, cutting against the grain. This matters more than anything else in the recipe — cut with the grain and the meat will be chewy no matter how well you cook it.

Peel the onions and slice them into long strips. Quarter them first, then slice thin.

Seed the peppers and cut them into strips the same size as the onion and beef. Everything should be uniform so it cooks evenly and holds together on the tortilla.

Get a wide pan very hot and melt the butter.

Add the beef in a single layer and let it sit for a minute before stirring — you want color on it. If your pan is small, do this in two batches. Crowded meat steams instead of searing.

Add the onions and cook until they start to color at the edges.

Add the soy sauce and toss to coat.

Add the peppers toward the end, when the beef is nearly done. They should stay bright and keep some bite.

Season with salt and black pepper.

Take the pan off the heat when the beef is tender.

Let it rest a couple of minutes, then serve with warm tortillas or lavash, and whatever you like alongside — sour cream, lime, cilantro.