When is a Pear a Vegetable?

The sharp spines of the Opuntia can be intimidating, but once they’re removed, the “nopales” turns into a nutritious vegetable that defies its prickly appearance.

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A New Look at an Old Vegetable

A few years ago I invited our new neighbor over for a get - acquainted dinner party . The prickly pear cacti in my yard were sporting delicious - look vernal stamp pad so I decided to make a Nopal Salsa and serve it as an appetiser .

I cut the tender edible cactus pads , called nopales , boiled them in urine and removed the backbone . Then I mix in them with other ingredients for a colorful salsa and served them with home base - made tortilla chips and frosty margaritas .

The neighbors dug into the salsa and call up it was delicious . But when I cite they were enjoying the cactus from my front yard , they both stopped eating in mid - bit . I assure them the salsa was made with a vegetable that ’s an important part of the menu in the southwesterly U.S. and Mexico .

Nopales ( say noh - PAH - lays ) are the tender , eatable cactus pads from the conversant burred pear cactus ( Opuntiaspecies ) . Once the spines are removed , the fleshy pads are cook and used in many dissimilar recipes from salads to salsas . The fain nopalitos taste a little like a slightly tart well - misrepresent green bean .

According to late research , nopales are a high fiber , low calorie , low - atomic number 11 veggie . They are also mellow in potassium and a good source of Vitamins A and C. Researchers believe nopales are a natural way to lower cholesterin and to help manage blood sugar for those with character 2 diabetes .

Easy Does It

Whenever I ’m get ready to reap the cactus pads , I ensure I gear up with heavy - duty gloves , my Hori Hori knife , kitchen tongs or plier and a cullender . The Hori Hori slices through the cactus and then I cautiously collect the pad with the tongs .

I only cut a few of the untested , smallest and most untoughened pads . Then I wash them and place them in a pan of water and bring to a furuncle for about 30 minutes . The urine is drained and the nopales allowed to cool before the spines are scraped off with a sharp tongue .

If you do n’t have your own prickly pear cacti growing in the yard , jars of prepared nopales can be found at specialty grocery storage or grade from online suppliers .

Nopales Salsa Recipe

fixings

1 tablespoon veg oil¼ loving cup chop nopales¼ cup chopped onion¼ cupful diced green chiles¼ cupful seed and chop tomatoes½ cup waterSalt and pepper to taste

Directions

Makes about 1 cup salsa . Serve as a salsa with tortilla chip shot or as a topping for tacos , burritos or scrambled eggs .

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Nopal salsa is a delicious way to enjoy the benefits of prickly pear cactus.Photo/Illustration: Jodi Torpey

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