Nopales

I feel like I live in an amazing area for food. Especially Mexican food. But I won't lie, this particular dish has always intimidated me, especially when it comes to cooking it. Sometimes though you have to step outside of your culinary box and see what you can create.  

prep

Here's the thing with Nopales in case you don't know, and it's a huge reason why I stayed away for so long. They're slimy. It makes sense right? Aloe Vera is slimy and it comes from a cactus so it only makes sense that Nopales would be similar. The tip I got when it comes to cooking the Nopales is to rinse them thoroughly under cold water in a colander so you can get some of that initial sliminess off. After that, you would start your prep process for cooking. Oh and the other tip I got was use TONS of garlic.

The other prep tip that was super helpful to me was to get the Nopales that are already prepped. Mine came chopped and that was great, but as long as the cactus needles are off the Nopales, you're good! If you do have one with needles, make sure you where gloves when removing those suckers!

the boil

If you decide to boil them, which was my choice because I was told by multiple friends that boiling is more efficient in cooking off the sliminess, make sure you toss in some other awesomeness in the pot for the Nopales to absorb. My choice was onions and smashed garlic, and salt.

make sure you boil them for enough time

You're going to notice really quickly that the Nopales turn a darker green when they are in the boiling water for a few minutes. But the key is to boil them until all the gelatinous stuff comes off. After the boil is done, drain and rinse in cold water. 

Nopales can be stored in your fridge for a few days and are great toppings for salads, great additions to eggs, and obviously amazing in tacos too!

Nopales

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 package of Nopales, rinsed and drained

Salt to taste

Place all the ingredients in a stock pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil for 15 to 30 minutes or until the Nopales are dark green and all the gelatinous substance is gone.

(I made tacos out of mine that were super easy. Grab a couple of tortillas, throw in some Nopales, top with radishes, cilantro, onion, avocado and cotija cheese or whatever taco accouterments you love and enjoy!