Beef Steak and Vegetables in Fresh Corn Tortillas

Mexican-inspired and very good: Thin slices of real beef steak served in freshly made corn tortillas together with a mix of onions, bell peppers, mild poblano ("pasilla") chiles and tomatoes.

The poblano peppers add a rather mild but distinctive spicy flavor to the dish.

Ingredients

Corn Tortillas

• 2 cups / 300 g masa harina
• 1⅓ cups / 320 ml water

Steak and Vegetables

• 7 oz / 200 g beef steak (e.g. 1 New York Strip steak)
• ¼ tsp dried ground cumin (for the steak)
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 fresh poblano peppers (often sold as pasilla peppers), cut into ½ in / 1 cm pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ in / 1 cm pieces
• 2 plum tomatoes, cut into ½ in / 1 cm pieces
• ⅛ tsp cumin (for the vegetables)
• ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
• ¼ cup / 60 ml white wine
• ½ cup / handful cilantro, coarsely chopped
• a few cilantro leaves as garnish

Preparation

Corn Tortillas

1. Combine masa harina with water. Mix well until you get a smooth dough. Add water in tablespoon increments if necessary.
2. Divide dough into 6 equal parts. Shape each part into a ball.
3. Use a tortilla press to make tortillas. I find it works best to press the tortillas between two sheets of parchment paper (most instructions seem to recommend plastic wrap but I find that too flimsy).
4. Carefully peel each tortilla off the parchment paper.
5. Place on an ungreased hot cast iron griddle (or in a cast iron pan).
6. Cook for about 30 seconds on one side, flip over and cook for 60 seconds, then flip back and cook for another 30 seconds.
7. Keep tortillas warm (in an oven set to low temperature or wrapped in a clean kitchen towel).
8. Repeat until all tortillas have been made.

Steak, Vegetables and Assembling the Tortillas

1. Sprinkle steak with freshly ground pepper and cumin.
2. Place a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Cook steak until done, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove steak from pan and set aside.
3. Place a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and brown sugar. Cook until the sugar starts to darken.
4. Add onion and cook until it starts to brown. Add poblano and bell peppers, chopped tomato and ground cumin. Cook until the peppers start to soften, stirring frequently.
5. Add salt and white wine. Cook until liquid has mostly evaporated. Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Stir in chopped cilantro.
7. Cut steak into thin slices. For all six tortillas, place steak and vegetable mix on one half of a tortilla. Fold over. Garnish with a few cilantro leaves. Serve.

I find freshly prepared corn tortillas to be a real treat. They are most easily shaped with a tortilla press. I have an 8 in / 20 cm press which is available from many sources for less than $20.

Yields 6 tortillas

Preparation time about 1 hour