Flat-leaved cactus common throughout desert regions of America -- called prickly pear in US and nopale in Mexico -- is not only edible, but suitable for many recipes. Here is a couple, inspired by the ones on Desert Lil's page:Nopales Salsa
Remove the needles from the cactus pads and wash them. Grill the pads for ~5 minutes on each side, slice them, combine with the remaining ingredients, and pulverise in a blender or food processor.
- 1 lb cleaned cactus pads- 1/2 lb tomatillos or tomatoes
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 poblano peppers
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- sprinkle of fresh lime juice
- 1/2 tsp of cumin
Nopales Salad
Remove the needles from the cactus pads and wash them. Dice the cactus and simmer for 30 minutes in 4 cups of water with salt and a halved onion. Drain the cactus pieces and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Ideally, keep in refridgerator for a couple hours before serving:
- 2.2 lbs Nopales
- 1 onion, halved +1 onion, chopped
- 2 Tbs salt
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 4 green chiles (serrano or jalapeño), chopped
- oil & vinegar dressing