Sauteed Nopales
serves 4-6
Fiber-rich nopales are cactus-like pads taken from prickly pear plants. If you can't find them fresh, you should be able to find them canned.
This recipe is part of Andrew Schloss's Sunday Dinners.
1 pound fresh nopales, trimmed of spines, or 12 ounces canned nopales, drained
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pinch red pepper flakes
5 or 6 tomatillo husks
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
prep: 10 minutes
total: 25 minutes
large skillet
1. Scrape off the spines from the edges and face of fresh nopales and trim away the hard end from each section. Cut the trimmed sections into small cubes. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot. Add the nopales, green onions, garlic, pepper flakes and salt. Mix together and cover.
3. Cook over low heat until the nopales are tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. They will become quite juicy.
4. If using canned nopales, stop the cooking at this point. Add the cilantro and serve. If using fresh nopales, uncover and add the tomatillo skins and the cilantro.
5. Cook over moderate heat until the vegetable is almost dry and the sticky liquid disappears, about 12 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve.
