Some Thorny Advice In An Easier Package To Swallow
You may not know it, but sometimes I am a bit of a philosopher. This particular trait of mine manifests itself on occasion, especially at parties and/or after consuming a bottle of champagne plus some Jell-O shots. It was during one such philosophical moment last weekend that I bestowed some advice on a DJ. There was no dance-worthy music playing at this party, and I advised him that sometimes you just have to do things for the people. He protested that he liked his taste in music and I assured him that his choices were fine, in and of themselves. But slowly incorporating your personal artistic taste into more familiar territory for your audience is far better than shoving it down people’s throats.
The Jell-O shots may have worn off, but the advice I gave the DJ is what I apply to my own world of cooking. It is in this vein that I urge you to consider the cactus.
Trust me, you already consider the cactus. Those margaritas you have been drinking all summer in Cabo or in your local Mexican cantina, yes, those are courtesy of the cactus known as blue agave. Hard to believe such a menacing looking plant with its long spiky thorns could be the mother of tequila--that beloved and despised liquor that is the key ingredient of that very margarita in your hand right now.
So now that you realize the scary looking plant is actually the provider of something quite enjoyable, it might be easier to swallow some of the not-so-familiar culinary contributions of the cactus family.
Lately you have probably been hearing a lot about agave nectar. Yes, it comes from the same plant as tequila, which makes it not so scary. After being extracted from the plant, it is boiled down to make syrup that is slightly thinner than honey. In fact, it can be used as a sweetener just as you would use granulated sugar or maple syrup. The fantastic thing about it, which has made it a staple at health food stores, is its low glycemic index. This means it does not give that “sugar rush” that other sweeteners are apt to give. And do you know what agave nectar makes a delicious sweetener for? That’s right, margaritas.
Beyond the blue agave, the non-liquid cactus that we are most familiar with is known in restaurants as nopales or nopalitos, from the plant called the prickly pear cactus. Truthfully, if the paddles have already been harvested, the preparation of the cactus is quite simple: remove any excess spines from the paddles with a pairing knife or a vegetable peeler, then proceed to cook by either grilling or boiling. The paddles can be cooked whole, or, they can be cut into ½-inch strips first. Fresh cactus is hard to come by most places outside of the southwest, so look for the canned version in the Mexican food section of the market. Once cooked, the flavor of nopales is decidedly vegetal and lends itself well to salads, as a chopped up addition to an omelet, or as a particularly nice component for a vegetarian taco.
If I had jumped right in and told you cactus tastes good and you should be eating more of it in all its forms, the suggestion might not have gone down so well. But when I remind you that you perhaps already enjoy one application of the plant in the form of tequila, I think I might have a slightly better chance of getting you to try nopales. Which was really the point of my champagne-fueled conversation that night. Give the people something familiar, work in some of your own stuff, and it will be a lot easier to bring people along to your side. The DJ played our dancing music mixed in with a bit of his own preferences from that point on. We danced, maybe broadened our musical horizons a bit, and everyone was happier for it.
Made with cojito cheese or feta cheese, nopales, portobello mushrooms, salt and pepper, olive oil, limes, dry oregano, salt and cracked black pepper, pickled jalapenos
Serves/Makes: 4
- 2 large portobello mushrooms
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano
- salt and cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups canned nopales, drained
- 4 ounces cojito cheese or feta cheese
- tortillas (optional)
Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high heat. Wipe off portobello mushrooms with a damp cloth. Brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Grill on both sides until slightly charred and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, combine the juice of the limes with oregano, a couple pinches of salt and some cracked pepper in a medium bowl. Chop jalapenos and add to lime juice, stirring to combine. Mix in olive oil.
Take drained nopales and cut strips into smaller pieces, about 2 inches long. Add to bowl. Crumble cheese and add to bowl.
When mushrooms are done cooking, cut down the middle horizontally. Then cut each half into pieces 1/2 inch wide. Add to bowl and stir all ingredients to combine.
Optional: Heat tortillas on grill and use nopales as filling for vegetarian tacos.
Made with Cointreau or Grand Marnier, water, margarita salt, limes, agave nectar, tequila
Serves/Makes: 1
- margarita salt
- 2 1/2 limes
- 1 1/2 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1/3 cup tequila
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons Cointreau or Grand Marnier
Fill one shallow plate with tequila salt. Using 1/2 a lime, generously rub the rim of a high ball glass. Dip the glass into the plate of tequila salt. Fill the glass with ice.
To the ice add the fresh juice of two limes, agave nectar, tequila, and water. Stir to combine. Pour Cointreau or Grand Marnier in a swirl over the top of the glass to create a floater. Serve.
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