Best Stuffed Cactus Paddles In Tomato Broth Recipes

HOW TO COOK NOPALES (CACTUS PADDLES)

Steps:

• Place the cactus paddle on your cutting board and, using a sharp knife, trim off the edge. Scrape the spines, thorns or eyes, running your knife from back to front until completely clean. Turn the cactus paddles and do the same on the other side.
• Repeat the same steps with the rest of the cactus paddles. Finally, rinse the cactus paddles and take them back to your clean cutting board.
• Place a medium size pot with 4 quarts of water to boil.
• Cut the cactus paddles into small strips.
• Once the water is boiling add the cactus, onion, garlic, 1/2 tsp. of salt and the tomatillo husk. Boil uncovered for about 8-10 minutes or until tender. The cactus will exude a sticky substance and most times will foam, so, pay special attention to this step to avoid the foam to spill over.
• Once cooked, drain and rinse the cactus. Let them drain completely or pat them dry with paper towels. Now, your nopales are ready to be prepared into salads, scrambled eggs, as an addition to your Mexican stews, etc.
• Place the nopales in a large bowl; add the chopped tomato, onion, serrano peppers and cilantro. Mix the ingredients. In a separate bowl mix lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add this to the nopales mixture and stir. Top the salad with crumbled fresh cheese and avocado slices. (Radishes go well with this salad also). Eat with corn tortillas or tostadas.
• Add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped green onions and stir-fry for a minute. Add the nopales and cook for 1 - 2 minutes. Add the eggs and cook until tender, stirring as needed. Add salt to taste.

NOPALES-STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the stuffing: In a medium saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, cactus, onions, garlic and salt and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables sweat, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions are fully cooked, 5 to 7 minutes longer; set aside.
• For the chicken: Place about 2 tablespoons of the cactus stuffing on one side of each chicken breast. If you have remaining stuffing, reserve it for garnish. Top with the cheese. Using a brush, coat the edges of the chicken breasts with the egg and fold over the chicken to close.
• Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the canola oil. Season the chicken breasts with the salt and pepper. Carefully place each stuffed breast in the hot pan. Cook each side until seared and a nice crust forms, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a sheet pan and bake until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F, about 25 minutes.
• For the sauce: Reduce the heat to low under the saute pan that was used for the chicken. Add the cumin, coriander and paprika and cook, stirring, until toasted, for a minute or two, taking care not to burn the spices-add a little oil to the pan if it looks dry. Add the lime zest and juice and cook, stirring, until the juice has reduced. Very carefully add the tequila; it may ignite, but not for too long. Stir in the chicken stock, salt and pepper; lower the heat and cook until reduced, about 10 minutes.
• Place the chicken in a serving dish, cover with the sauce and garnish with any reserved cactus stuffing and chopped fresh parsley.

HUARACHES - STUFFED PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS PADDLES - STUFFED NOPALE

Steps:

• Place the whole cactus paddles, onion and garlic in a large pot with water to cover and salt to taste.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, or until the nopales are tender but still firm.
• Drain and rinse.
• Starting at the wide, curved end, carefully slice each paddle horizontally, as if butterflying a chop for stuffing.
• Do not cut all the way through to the narrow end (the thicker part where the pad is attached to the main plant) but leave approximately 1 1/2" uncut.
• Place a slice of cheese between the two sections and press flat.
• Dredge the paddles in flour.
• Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and fold in the lightly beaten egg yolks.
• Pour enough oil into large skillet so that it comes up at least 1/2 inch.
• Heat the oil until sizzling hot.
• Dip the stuffed nopales in the egg batter to coat and fry in the hot oil until golden brown on each side.
• Serve immediately with red salsa.

CHILES RELLENOS IN TOMATO BROTH

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Place the chiles on a foil-lined broiler pan; broil, turning, until the skins char, about 8 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Peel the chiles. Slice each open lengthwise, about 1/2 inch from the top to 1 inch from the bottom. Remove the seedpod, then rinse to flush out any remaining seeds. Blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Carefully stuff each chile with a stick of cheese.
• Puree the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender until smooth. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Add the tomato puree, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cilantro sprig and fry, stirring, until thick, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the broth, reduce the heat and simmer until thickened but still brothy, 25 to 30 minutes. Season with salt. Strain, discarding the solids, and keep warm.
• Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Heat 1 to 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 360. Beat the egg whites, 2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon salt with a mixer until stiff but not dry. Beat the yolks in a separate bowl until combined, then gently fold them into the whites.
• Overlap the sides of the slit in the chiles to enclose the cheese, then dredge in flour, working with two chiles at a time. (Coat any tears with flour.) Using tongs, dip and roll the chiles in the egg mixture to coat. Fry in the hot oil until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer with a large skimmer or 2 spatulas to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet, letting the excess oil drip back into the pot. Repeat with the remaining chiles and egg mixture. Place in the oven on the lined baking sheet to cook off any excess oil, about 5 minutes.
• Ladle the tomato broth into 4 shallow bowls; place 2 chiles in each. Garnish with cilantro.

SHRIMP-STUFFED NOPALES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, and tomato and sauté for 8 minutes, or until the pepper is nearly tender. Add the shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes, or until just cooked through. Season the stuffing to taste with salt and pepper, and set it aside.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Using a small sharp knife, carefully cut a slit along one long side of each nopal without cutting all the way through, to make something resembling a pita pocket. Grill the nopales for 4 minutes per side, or until they are tender and grill marks appear.
• Stuff the nopales with the shrimp mixture, dividing it equally, and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce.