Best and Beyond

Veal, Chorizo and Orange Fajitas or Mexican Stew

Veal Chorizo and Orange Fajitas
Mexican Stew

Review Post: Discovery Foods Perfect Fajita Kit

To celebrate Mexico’s Cinco de Mayo Festival Discovery Foods sent me their Perfect Fajita Kit to create a recipe using a selection of their products. The Festival is a big deal and celebrates various military battles in the 1800’s. I’d originally said NO but that was before I ate at Wahaca’s Pop Up Restaurant on the South Bank and suddenly felt really inspired as they had a range of small and large dishes that looked good and tasted delicious washed down with a couple of Margarita’s as we people watched from their bar overlooking the Thames.

At Wahaca we passed on the deep fried grasshoppers. A solution to World Hunger potentially and now being introduced to all their restaurants after a successful launch at the Pop-Up. Apparently they are delicious. I have no plans to try them but Morgaine Gaye a food Futurologist insists they are a route forward in terms of feeding everyone responsibly.

I’ve included two easy recipes below. Both simple, the first requires more time the second is a tribute to Mexican street food. NB you can replace the veal with pork or beef if you don’t eat veal. We really enjoyed the Fajitas and the Fajita Seasoning Mix is a godsend. I am not good at making rubs or mixes and this is truly the only way we could eat Mexican food as I am not going to faf about making a mix. Very happy to make bread from scratch but a seasoning mix is pushing the boat just too far. There are probably a lot of people out there just like me! We were also sent some new Garlic and Herb Soured Cream which was described as “OK” by both children.

Recipe One

Serves 6
Veal, Chorizo and Orange Fajitas
You need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
275g Veal Diced for Stew
1 small chorizo chopped
Discovery Fajita Seasoning Mix
1 tin of mixed beans in mild chili sauce
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
Juice and zest of ½ orange
Ground black pepper
Grated Cheddar
Sour Cream or Sour Cream Sauce
Sliced cucumber and tomato (avocado is delicious too)

You need to:
• Coat the meat in fajita seasoning mix
• Fry the meat in batches in olive oil with chopped chorizo
• Add the beans, chopped tomatoes, orange juice/zest and ground black pepper
• Place in oven 150C for 3 hours until the meat is flaking and a thick sauce has been produced.
• Once the meat is ready remove from the oven and let it rest
• Heat the fajita in a frying pan on both sides
• Place on a plate and add some cooked rice, sliced tomato and cucumber and add some meat mixture, sour cream, cheddar and salsa.
• Fold or roll the fajita
• Enjoy

Recipe Two
Dorset Cheddar and Chorizo Fajitas
You need:
1 Fajita per person
Sprinkling of Dorset or other quality Cheddar Cheese
Few slices of chopped chorizo

You need to:
• Warm the fajita in a dry frying pan both sides
• Add the cheddar cheese and chopped chorizo
• Let it melt
• Fold and eat
• Enjoy (this is a perfect lunchtime snack particularly when you need warmed up)

Disclaimer: I was sent the Fajitas, Fajita Seasoning Mix and Garlic and Herb Soured Cream by Discovery Foods. I paid for all the other ingredients, researched and developed the recipes myself. So I know they work well!

Verdict:
As a family we would choose to buy the Fajitas and Fajita seasoning again. They worked well and the seasoning added a great smoked flavour that I would not have been able to achieve by myself. I will try the seasoning with pork or beef next time. We eat a lot of pork and I wanted a change. The recipe for the stew is delicious and if you can bear to make a day in advance the deep smoked taste intensifies. It also freezes well. The meal was “lovely” from 8 year old and “really cool” from 12 year old. They enjoyed putting their own dish together one with rice in the fajita, one with rice as a side. We don’t eat bottled/prepared sauces in our house so this was a new departure for them and they weren’t keen. I don’t feel we are representative of the rest of the UK though! Fajitas have a shelf life of 4 days from opening and the seasoning 14 days from opening stored in a dry, airtight container.  Discovery Products are available in leading supermarkets and independent food retailers.