FLOWER POT KITCHEN: SMOKEY BARBECUE CHARRED FAJITAS NEXT LEVEL OTT

3 May 2024

SMOKEY BARBECUE CHARRED FAJITAS NEXT LEVEL OTT

BIG GREEN EGG KAMADO COOKING

This charred hickory smoked barbecued chicken fajitas is the next level and OTT (over the top)! Cooking direct all the ingredients got their turn on the big green egg to add that extra hickory smoked flavour, smokey marinated chicken, charred onions, jalapeños and peppers stuffed into warm tortillas with a charred fresh charred tomato salsa with jalapeños and lime topped off with sour cream, guacamole and fresh coriander, these are lip smackingly good!

Marinate time 30 mins-24 hrs / Prep time 15 minutes / Cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 4)

4 chicken breasts cubed

2 red pepper quartered

2 green pepper quartered

2 red onions sliced in to thick whole rings

4 fresh jalapeños whole

4 spring onions trimmed

2 limes halved

4 tomatoes cut in half

16 6" flour tortillas

1 iceberg lettuce fine shredded

1 lrg pot sour cream

2 pots guacamole

1 small bunch fresh coriander chopped

Fajitas Spice Mix

4 tbsp LUCHITO fajitas spice rub

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp corn masa flour

1 tsp soft brown sugar

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp chilli pepper

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

pinch of sea salt

100ml of ground nut oil

1 lime juiced

Chicken Fajitas

Fire up your grill, direct heat 200 C / 390 F

Fajitas Marinade

Mix all the dry spices together in the oil and lime juice.

Massage the chicken in the marinade and leave for minimum of 30 minutes in the fridge, over night is better to really permeate the flavours, place the chicken on your skewers ready to barbecue.

Once your grill is up to heat, place the chicken skewers on, leave to sear and char approx 5 minutes then turn and cook the other side, meanwhile, place the onions, jalapeños, peppers, tomatoes, spring onions and limes on the grill, turning after 5 minutes, cook until charred, remove ready to serve.

Rest the chicken while you chop the tomatoes, spring onions, one of the jalapeños, mix with the lime juice season with salt to make the salsa.

Set your table with bowls of shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, fresh chopped coriander, the roasted salsa, warm tortillas, plates and cutlery ready to go.

Pile the chicken skewers on the table and let everyone dive in.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.