gtaylor@astroatc.UUCP (Greg Taylor) (01/06/86)
There I was, the requisite eighties guy, shopping for gourmet delights in the local bargain barn, when my eyes lit on an unusual display in the store: Cactus leaves (is that what they're called? appendages? parts?) and prickly pears. This was el stumpo territory for moi.....who only knows the froggy varieties of subtlety (maybe a little Indonesian and Chinese if I am pushed). So, the net question for today is.... HOW DO I EAT A CACTUS? WHAT DO YOU PUT THE DARNED THINGS IN? Do I use the spines to affix the radish roses to my sauteed scrod? do you line an "Irish Setter Quiche" with cactus leaves to keep the mango skins from scorching? AND HOW ABOUT THE PRICKLY PEARS? You brandy them and serves them sprinkled with powdered Drano for that little je-ne-sais-quoi in your desserts? Inquiringly, Gregory Taylor -- She lost her luck/She lost her red shoes/she lost her wallet but she never lost her nerve./She wasn't lonely/no not much. -the Golden Palominos---------------------------------------- Gregory Taylor/...!uwvax!astroatc!gtaylor /Madison, Wisconsin
wfi@rti-sel.UUCP (William Ingogly) (01/06/86)
In article <263@astroatc.UUCP> gtaylor@astroatc.UUCP (Greg Taylor) writes: >HOW DO I EAT A CACTUS? WHAT DO YOU PUT THE DARNED THINGS IN? > ... AND HOW ABOUT THE PRICKLY PEARS? ... Young cactus shoots (buds?) are used in certain regional Mexican dishes. I recall seeing a recipe that included cactus and shrimp sauteed together, perhaps in an issue of Gourmet magazine a few months ago. As for prickly pears, you peel them and eat them raw. They're a blood-red fruit that has a delicious taste sort of like a mellow combination of watermelons and strawberries. Legend has it that an overindulgence in prickly pears can lead to a bad case of Montezuma's revenge, however. :-) -- Cheers, Bill Ingogly
bellas@ttidcb.UUCP (Pete Bellas) (01/06/86)
Distribution: Organization: Transaction Technology, Inc. (CitiCorp), Santa Monica A don't know about the leaves (I have seen pickeled cactus leaves), but the prickly pears are just like pomegranates, we used to pick and eat them all the time when I was out in the desert. You peel them (carefully) and eat the insides, then try to figure out what to do with all the seeds. Good Luck. -Pete-
rau@steinmetz.UUCP (01/08/86)
Cactus leaves (nopalitos) taste similar to okra. They are used in Mexican cooking as a vegetable side dish, or in places where green tomatoes and/or chilis might be used. You must peel them before using unless you want a mouthful of spiny prickles (ouch). Out here you cannot get them canned, much less fresh (not that I like them that much anyway - probably an ``acquired taste''). Lisa Rau
faigin@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Daniel P Faigin) (01/08/86)
Cactus leaves, a.k.a. "nopales", are used sort of like veggies in
Mexican cooking. The fresh are a pain (ouch!) to prepare. The
jarred can be sauteed in butter/oil/garlic, or prepared as you
would (canned - ugh!) green beans.
To prepare fresh prickly pear leaves like nopales, peel them (a
pliers and sturdy gloves help), simmer 'til tender in salted
water, saute if desired.
Note: dispose of trimmings *carefully*.
Hope this helps.
--
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ARPA: sdcrdcf!faigin@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA --or-- sdcrdcf!faigin@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU
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H: 11743 Darlington Avenue #9; Los Angeles CA 90049; (213) 826-3357jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman) (01/09/86)
> There I was, the requisite eighties guy, shopping for gourmet > delights in the local bargain barn, when my eyes lit on an unusual > display in the store: Cactus leaves (is that what they're called? > appendages? parts?) and prickly pears. > > HOW DO I EAT A CACTUS? WHAT DO YOU PUT THE DARNED THINGS IN? > > Gregory Taylor The cactus leaves are called "nopales". They're good in Mexican food. "The New American Vegetable Cookbook" by Brennan, Cronin, & Glenn says to prepare them by washing, cutting off the thorns, peeling (first the edges, then the rest), slicing into 1" X 1/4" strips, and steaming for 3 minutes. I've only had canned ones, not fresh. They have a mild flavor, so you don't have to worry about offending your tastebuds. Wear gloves or use tongs until you remove the thorns. Try adding some to your tacos. Prickly pears are good eaten plain. Just cut them open and scoop out the flesh. The fruit is pink inside and tastes a little like watermelon. I've seen candy made from prickly pear pulp, but don't know how to make it. The pears have thorns just like the leaves, so be careful. -- Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.) "Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent..." {amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff {ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff
ella@utecfa.UUCP (Thomsen) (01/09/86)
Here's your answer: WHAT DO I DO WITH A CACTUS?
Since you're the requisite eighties type of guy, just buy it in a jar
that's already prepared - then you don't have to get your shotgun and
head out to Mexico to kill some unbelievably large nopale cactus and
drag it home on your back (only to get stabbed by the spines).
Open the lid - drain the water off and rinse the cactus pieces off.
Then you can make a wonderful breakfast with nopale and scrambled eggs
and chopped jalapeno.
Adios.
--
Ella Lund-Thomsen
Engineering Computing Facility
University of Toronto
{linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd,decvax,utzoo}!utcsri!utecfa!ellageorge@sysvis (01/09/86)
> There I was, the requisite eighties guy, shopping for gourmet > delights in the local bargain barn, when my eyes lit on an unusual > display in the store: Cactus leaves (is that what they're called? > appendages? parts?) and prickly pears. First it was rare fruits from around the world (that the indigenous natives, insects, and birds wouldn't even eat on a bet). This cactus thing just sounds like the latest fad in designer-vegetables to me. Gourmets will sometimes eat (in season) snail eggs to rebel just a bit. (-:
slb@bbncc5.UUCP (Susan Bernstein) (01/11/86)
Prickly pears: you can make a wonderful ice (sorbet) from these fruit. I don't have a written recipe in front of me, but as I recall it is very simple: peel a bunch (?1 1/2 - 2 lb?), and put the pulp through a food mill. this gets rid of the black seeds. add sugar (3/4 - 1 c) maybe add a drop of orange-based liqueur/cognac or a bit of orange juice [don't quote me on this step, but it can't be bad] freeze in your favorite ice cream maker.