Recipe: Fajita Pasta

This recipe can be traced back to several nationalities. They are merged with elegance & richness.

Fajita Pasta

1 eye of round or sirloin steak (about the size of your palm)

Marinate (overnight preferably) in:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 cups cooked pasta (anything but "long" strand pastas, or tiny shapes should work, you want the pasta to stand up to the topping)
5 or 6 large white mushrooms
1/2 large yellow onion
1/2 large green pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 dried chipotle pepper, reconstituted in 1/4 cup boiling water and then finely "smashed" (a smoked, dried jalapeno -- available in some "upscale" groceries or natural food shops. If you can't find it, feel free to us any hot pepper you like, but the sauce won't have the smoky flavor of the chipotle)
1/4 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cilantro
salt to taste
2-3 Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and diced shredded white cheese (Monterey Jack, Muenster, etc., as long as its a good melter)

Start your steak on the grill, seasoning it with salt and pepper. It should be cooked only to medium, no more than that. Slice the mushrooms, onion and pepper into thin strips. Grill them alongside your steak for even more flavor, otherwise, saute in the olive oil in a skillet. If you've grilled them with the steak, transfer them into a pan so you can make the sauce. Use the water off the chipotle, if you like it really hot, or about 1/4 cup water or broth -- add this to the onion mix. Heat to boiling and then add your reconstituted chipotle or other hot pepper, seasonings and slowly, your heavy cream. Cook until thick. Pour over your pasta (which should have been either kept warm or warmed up in some boiling water, then drained). Divide into serving dishes. Slice steak across the grain and arrange on top of pasta. Sprinkle over diced tomatoes and cheese.