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Wednesday, August 8, 2001
Nopale flavor
Cactus adds southwest zest to salsa, stir fries, jellies, bread and even liquor
By Lynn Brezosky
Associated Press

Knight Ridder Newspapers

Nopales are a favorite addition to almost any dish. Mexicans and Mexican-Americans are accustomed to mixing nopales into all sorts of dishes — the cactuses are stir-fried with eggs and shrimp or maybe beef and peppers, tossed into soups, and made into a salsa for tortillas.

LAREDO - Nopales. The big cactuses Anglos call prickly pears are everywhere here, growing wild along the highways and on the ranches, friendly looking despite their thorns.
   Occasionally you'll see a family stop along the roadway to cut a few, especially if the plants' spiked round fruit, or tuna, is in season. And why not? Both stem pad and fruit make good, healthful eating.
   They don't have much taste by themselves, but the stem pads, which are considered vegetables, add texture, zest and color to dishes, as well as vitamins. Some compare them to okra or green peppers.
   Root of Mexico
   So central were nopales to the indigenous culture of what is now the southwestern United States and Mexico that they are the root of Mexico City's Aztec name, Tenochtitlan, meaning "place of the cactus fruit."
   In cases of drought, nopales were the lifeblood of ancient cultures here, food for both people and their livestock. They also were used to soothe wounds, stiffen cloth, strengthen mortar and fence off wild animals. Cattle that grazed on the nopales were said to develop a special flavor in their meat and milk.

Associated Press

Add cactus to your favorite stir-fry recipes. They can be cut according to preference; half-inch strips in a hot wok will provide a nice texture in about 90 seconds.

   Mexicans and Mexican-Americans are accustomed to mixing nopales into all sorts of dishes - the cactuses are stir-fried with eggs and shrimp or maybe beef and peppers, tossed into soups, grilled with olive oil, even pickled or made into a salsa for tortillas. In some cases, the recipes have been handed down for generations, since before Texas was Tejas.
   New recipes are always evolving. Care for a prickly pear margarita?
   It's only recently that the nutritional benefits have been getting attention. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the sliced pads, or nopalitos, are low in fat but high in water-soluble fiber, pectin and energy-boosting complex carbohydrates, as well as calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. They weigh in at about 60 calories a cup.
   Medical benefits
   Molly Thongthiraj, a 25-year employee of the California Cactus Center in Pasadena, Calif., says she has seen more interest than ever in cactuses. Hispanic customers say they use cactus for a variety of ailments, even diabetes, she said. The Mexican Institute of Nutrition in Mexico City is researching health effects of the plant.
   Thongthiraj said she's also seen more Asians buying the plants. "I've noticed people are learning about it," she said. "Then they want to grow it."
   That's an easy task as long as the ground isn't too moist. Adding sand or perlite to the soil helps, she said. "You just lay them on the ground," Thongthiraj said of the pads. "They just root."

Associated Press

A cactus juice cocktail is one of the more recent uses of nopales.

   As a boy, Ramirez would go out in the brush and gather thenopales for his parents to cook.
   Today, he chases leads, usually word-of-mouth, to elderly people who speak of old plant cures, so he can compile and investigate them. He also wants to recapture the indigenous Mexican diet, the one that predates fat-laden, fast-food tacos. Nopales, he said, are a big part of that diet.
   Good eating
   He knows of about 150 recipes, including jellies, bread, even a liquor. For a visitor, he prepared them in a stir-fry with tomatoes, onions, garlic, shrimp, olive and sesame oil.
   When choosing pads for eating, pick immature ones so they still will be tender. Use tongs so as not to get spines or glochids (tiny, fuzzy spines) in your fingers.
   Using a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, remove the areoles (the places where spines develop on the pad). Rinse and then dice, slice or pare as desired.
   To avoid contact with the sticky fluid that oozes from the nopales, steam them whole, just long enough for their color to change from bright green to olive drab. Once the color changes, immediately plunge them into a bowl of cool water, then cut on a cutting board. The fluid is meant to be mixed into and enhance dishes.
   Add fresh diced or sliced "nopalitos" (as nopales are called when they're cut up into small pieces) to your favorite stir-fry recipes. They can be cut according to preference; half-inch strips in a hot wok will provide a nice texture in about 90 seconds. The thinner they are cut and longer they are cooked, the more soluble fiber they are likely to lose.

   SALSA DE NOPALITOS
   (cactus pad salsa)
   1 cup finely chopped tomato
   ¼ cup finely chopped onion
   1 cup fresh diced nopalitos
   ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
   ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
   1 chopped jalapeno pepper (or chili powder to taste)
   ½ teaspoon salt (optional, or more to taste)
   ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
   Blend all ingredients. Salsa can be used as a side dish or topping. It also can be simmered in a covered pot until cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes, and served as a warm salsa.

   NOPALITOS CON HUEVOS
   (tender cactus with eggs)
   ¼ cup Salsa de Nopalitos
   1 egg
   Saute ¼ cup salsa, scramble in egg and cook to desired doneness. Salsa can be added to omelets or can top fried or boiled eggs.

   GUACAMOLE CON NOPALITOS
   Mash 1 ripe avocado and add fresh or cooked Salsa de Nopalitos to taste. Serve with chips.

   NOPALITO SMOOTHIE
   1 ripe banana, cold from the refrigerator
   1 cup diced nopalitos, frozen
   Juice of ½ key or Mexican lime or 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
   1 cup cold orange, pineapple or grapefruit juice
   2 ounces Glorioso herbal tonic or ½ ounce Glorioso concentrate, optional (see note)
   1 tablespoon honey
   Put banana, nopalitos and juices in blender and liquefy until smooth.
   Note: Diabetics should use unsweetened grapefruit or pineapple juice and omit the honey. Glorioso is a combination of plant extracts that can be found in some health food stores. You can add protein powder or whatever you usually add to your smoothie, or skip this ingredient.

   NOPAL BREAD
   (or cactus bread)
   is made by adding nopales to bread recipes. A favorite is a multigrain bread mix. Using a bread maker makes it easy, but baking bread the old-fashioned way is great.
   Regardless of what bread recipe is used, reduce the amount of water required by ½ cup for a 11/2-pound loaf, and add ½ pound of pureed nopal (about 2 cups).
   With some bread types and loaf sizes, you may have to experiment with moisture requirements. Some recipes will let you add 1 cup pureed nopal without reducing water.
   The texture of the resulting bread is not unlike an English muffin. The Ramirezes like to toast it on a "comal" or tortilla griddle, then top it with cream or Neufchatel cheese, jam or jelly.
   - Recipes' source: Tony and Renee Ramirez.



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