NOPALES A LA MEXICANA

[nverland]

NOPALES A LA MEXICANA
Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 15 mins Total Time 25 mins Servings 2

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil
2 cups Nopales chopped and cooked *
¼ cup White onion chopped
1 Garlic clove chopped
2 serrano peppers diced
1 cup Tomato chopped
2 sprigs of cilantro
Salt and pepper


Instructions


Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes or until it starts to look transparent.
Stir in the Serrano pepper and garlic clove, and cook for one minute.
Add chopped tomato and cook for about 5 minutes; by this time the tomatoes will start releasing their juices.
Finally, stir in nopales and the cilantro sprigs. Let it cook for another 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. In case your sauce is too dry, add some tablespoons of water. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with warm corn tortillas. Enjoy!

Notes
• If you can’t find Serrano peppers, you can use 1 jalapeño pepper.


* HOW TO COOK NOPALES
Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

2 cactus paddles
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Water

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the cactus paddles on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, carefully scrape and slice off the thorns and dark brown bumps on all sides.
Rinse the cactus paddles under running water to remove any dirt and grime.
Dice the cactus paddles into bite-size pieces or slice them into thin strips.
Place in a medium pot with salt, and fill with water until all the cactus paddles are covered.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover with a lid, and cook for 10 more minutes.

Drain the water from the nopales and give them another rinse under warm water to remove any excess slimy liquid.
Eat plain or sauté in a little olive oil with your favorite seasonings

TIPS:
If you’ve never worked with cactus paddles before, be careful because each pad has little tiny spines and thorns that will easily prick your fingers. I recommend using gloves the first time. Once you get the hang of it, you can try to handle them without gloves.
Cooked nopales can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.