Fajitas and tortillas

Despite the vast improvement in gluten/ wheat free products over the years, there's one thing I find to be consistently gross, hard and near unpalatable -- tortillas! For those of you that are gluten free you'll know exactly what I mean. If you are after store bought GF tortillas that roll without snapping, good luck finding one. After seeing a post by a blogger that I quite like (Anita at Leave Room for Dessert -- http://leaveroomfordessert.com/) with a recipe for tortillas and fajitas, I decided it was time to give gluten free tortillas a go.

Gluten free tortillas

(Recipe adapted from Anita at Leave Room for Dessert)

Makes 5

2 c gf plain flour

1/16 tsp baking powder

55 gr butter, soften slightly

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp gluten substitute (e.g. Organ Gluten Substitute)

1/2 c plus 1 to 2 tbsp warm water

Fajitas

500 gr rump steak, thinly slice

1 red capsicum, thinly sliced

1 tbsp oil

Sour cream

Lettuce

Salsa

Grated cheese

Fajita marinade

1 c water

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground chilli powder (more if you like things spicy!)

pinch ground cloves (I ground up 4 cloves in the mortar and pestle and used those)

3 tsp minced garlic

1/4 c red wine vinegar

1/4 cup oil

1 orange, zest pared into strips and juiced

1 lemon, zest pared into strips and juiced

Caramelised onions

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

Step 1: Making the tortilla dough

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and gluten substitute into a bowl. Add the butter, rubbing it and the flour between your fingers until you get a mixture that resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in 1/2 c warm water. Mix to form a dough. If your mixture is dry add a little extra water, 1 tbsp at a time, working the mixture into a dough after each addition. Bring the mixture together to form a ball, kneading together for a few minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover and rest for 20 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the marinade

Place the water, red wine vinegar and juices into a bowl. Add all of the spices and 2 ribbons of zest from both the orange and the lemon. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and set aside for 15 minutes.

Marinate the meat for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 3: Caramelising the onions

Place the sliced onions and oil in a small sauce pan over a medium heat. Cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat a little and add the brown sugar. Continue to cook the onions for around 20 minutes, stirring as needed so they don't stick to the saucepan.

Note: if you find the mixture is getting too dry, add a little more oil.

Step 4: Rolling out and cooking the tortillas

While the onions are cooking, you can roll out and cook your tortillas.

Break the dough into 5 equal portions, rolling each portion into a small ball. Preheat a fry pan or crepe pan to a medium/high heat. Roll out one of balls, on a silicone mat or lightly floured board, until a thin tortilla round is formed.

Place the tortilla on the preheated pan and cook for 1 minute on each side, or until lightly browned. Place the cooked tortilla on a plate and cover with a clean tea towel to keep warm. Repeat with remaining dough.

Note: little air bubbles will form in the tortilla dough when you are cooking it. This is normal.

Step 5: Cooking the meat and capsicums

Heat a fry pan to medium/ high heat. Add the oil, a few tablespoons of the marinade and the capsicums. Cook the capsicums for a few minutes until tender and remove from the pan.

Add the meat to the fry pan in a few small batches and cook until just browned. Keep the cooked batches covered while you finish cooking the meat.

Step 6: Assembling the tortilla

Place the tortilla on a plate. Spread a line of sour cream and salsa (I prefer mine without salsa) down the middle of the tortilla. Add the lettuce, meat, vegetables and grated cheese in a line down the centre of the tortilla, leaving room at one edge to fold up. Once the bottom is folded up, fold in the sides and enjoy!