Whereas many see versatile maiz because the foremost plant in Mexican cookery, cactus occupies a extra symbolic position for a lot of Mexicans.
You possibly can actually see this by inspecting the Mexican flag, which depicts a prickly pear cactus atop which an eagle perches because it devours a serpent. The picture commemorates how the Aztecs based Tenochtitlan (now Mexico Metropolis) within the 1300s. In response to legend, the wandering Aztecs would know the place to construct their new metropolis after they noticed an eagle perched on a cactus.
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“The cactus is our largest meals illustration in Mexico and a historical past you develop up studying because you’re a child,” stated Alex Tellez, govt chef of Sor Ynez, a standard Mexican restaurant in Philadelphia.
“The cactus is our largest meals illustration in Mexico and a historical past you develop up studying because you’re a child.”
Nopales had been a staple of Tellez’s childhood kitchen, although he did not see many cactus crops round his native Mexico Metropolis. But each time he visited prolonged household in close by cities like Tlaxcala, Tellez bought to witness firsthand the formidable process of harvesting these prickly succulents.
“It was very intimidating,” he stated. “I bear in mind my grandfather and uncles would take these super-sharp machetes, slice [the cactus] fairly quick and catch it with a basket. Then my grandma would really maintain the cactus and clear and slice it herself.”
Chef Alex Tellez (Neal Santos)
From these ferocious origins, Tellez’s grandma, aunts and grand-aunts would manipulate the fiber- and antioxidant-rich nopales into each edible type conceivable. Blitzed into smoothies with celery, parsley, cucumber and contemporary orange juice for all-day hydration; sliced uncooked to lend bitter, crunchy freshness to salads; sautéed and stirred into soup or scrambled eggs; fast pickled (en escabeche); or braised or grilled then nestled into tacos — ¡lo que quieras, por supuesto!
Un trabajo de amor
You needn’t wield a machete whereas mining the grocery store produce aisles for nopales; (fortunately) you will normally discover tongs close to the show. When deciding on cacti, Tellez recommends on the lookout for medium or massive flat paddles, that are simpler to trim. Nonetheless, you do “have to really feel snug and assured touching the cactus to wash it,” Tellez stated. (I might additionally suggest a clear pair of gardening gloves.) To take away the spines, maintain the tip of the paddle and scrape them off reverse their development path utilizing a pointy knife or vegetable peeler.
You needn’t wield a machete whereas mining the grocery store produce aisles for nopales.
Cactus bears likeness to moisture-rich okra — not least of all for a characteristically slimy texture, which some discover off-putting. (Cacti produce this gooey liquid, generally known as mucilage, to seal water inside, which helps them survive desert-dry situations.) To take away this, Tellez suggests sautéing the nopales for a superb 5 minutes over medium-high warmth, then rinsing them completely within the sink. From there, your creativeness is the restrict.
At Tellez’s year-old Philly restaurant, seared nopales high tlayacos (boat-shaped masa muffins) with black beans and queso fresco. He loves including pickled cactus (recipe beneath) to carnitas, birria or barbacoa tacos to chop via the fattiness of the meat. He additionally steams chopped nopales in banana leaves with eggplant, squash and celery root for a vegan mixiote; provides uncooked slices to a bright radish salad with crumbled feta, lime juice and olive oil; and purées uncooked cactus together with cilantro leaves to combine into Sor Ynez’s chewy, green-hued tortillas. It is all half of a bigger dedication to educating diners concerning the conventional, vegetable-rich cooking of Tellez’s Mexico.
“We make conventional Mexican dishes, which have a variety of greens, and folks had been so confused at the start, like ‘I believed you had been a Mexican restaurant!'” he stated. “I am taking this expertise as an opportunity to coach folks and share information with all these totally different components. We preserve getting busier, so I believe it is working.”
A household recipe
Maybe Tellez’s favourite use for nopales — and the way in which he converts the cactus-averse — is thru his grand-aunt’s nopales en escabeche, a pointy, salty fast pickle that is seasoned with Mexican oregano, garlic and black peppercorns. For greatest outcomes, permit it to take a seat for 3 days within the fridge.
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Recipe: Nopales en Escabeche (Pickled Cactus)
By Alex Tellez, govt chef of Sor Ynez, Philadelphia
Prep Time
30 minutes, plus ideally 3 days of pickling time
Components
- 2-3 massive cactus paddles (4 cups diced)
- Olive oil, as wanted
- 1 massive carrot, sliced into 1/8 inch cash (see Prepare dinner’s Notes)
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup salt
- 4-5 complete peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed crimson pepper or 1 sliced serrano chile (elective, for warmth)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano (see Prepare dinner’s Notes)
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Place the cactus paddle flat on a large cutting board lined with paper towels. Sporting clear gardening gloves, maintain one finish and scrape off the spines with a vegetable peeler (my most popular weapon) or a pointy knife held at an angle. Scoop up the trimmings within the paper towel and discard. Cube the cactus into bite-size items or slice it into strips in case you plan to make use of the pickles for tacos. Style one; it is sort of like bitter bell pepper, proper?
- Warmth a large skillet over medium excessive. Add a number of teaspoons of olive oil and sauté the cactus for five minutes, stirring incessantly, till it has misplaced its brilliant inexperienced colour and launched a superb quantity of gooey liquid. Take away from the warmth, then tip the cactus right into a colander and rinse it for a superb 30 seconds underneath chilly water. Add the rinsed cactus to a big heat-proof bowl and put aside.
- Return the skillet to medium and add a bit extra olive oil together with the sliced carrots and onion. Sauté till the greens simply begin to soften, 2-3 minutes, then add them to the bowl with the cactus.
- In a medium saucepan with a lid, add the vinegar, water, salt, peppercorns, garlic, oregano and bay leaf. Stir to start dissolving the salt, cowl with a lid and convey to a boil. Take away from the warmth. Pour the recent brine over and let the greens cool to room temperature with the liquid. You possibly can eat them immediately or switch the cooled pickles to deli containers or mason jars, filling them to about 1 inch from the highest and taking care to completely submerge the greens. Seal, then place them within the fridge. (For extra flavorful outcomes, Tellez suggests letting the pickles sit not less than in a single day — or ideally three days.)
Prepare dinner’s Notes
“It must be Mexican,” Tellez says of the oregano.
I like to chop the carrot on a slight bias for prettiness.
My native Mexican grocery retailer not solely sells cactus paddles but in addition baggage of blessedly pre-trimmed and pre-diced cactus (in case you are not feeling as much as the duty of cleansing these prickly buggers).
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