Cactus Salad
When we lived in Michigan, Krystalyn and Miriam took High School Spanish. At the end of the semester their classes took an outing to a local restaurant with very creative Mexican food. The teacher offered extra credit if the students would try eating cactus and Lengua. They got all the credit because they ate both‼
Cactus is available in jars in the Mexican section of the grocery store. They are also called Nopalitas. Look for long thin strips of green vegetable, slightly pickled.
Even better, though, if you can find it, is fresh. You can find the whole leaves (with the needles still on). Doug likes this because he gets to use his blow-torch to burn off the needles before chopping.
You can sometimes find them already cleaned and chopped. That is the way I prefer to buy them because I’m not that big a fan of the blow-torch!
Yield 2 salads
Ingredients:
2 cup nopalitos – cactus
1 bun cilantro
2 tbs finely chopped onion
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup shredded queso fresco
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions:
Toss nopalitos, chopped cilantro, onion, garlic and salt in a bowl and toss together. Divide the mixture between two microwave safe plate and top each with ½ cup shredded cheese. Place plate into the microwave for 1-2 minutes, until cheese melts. Drizzle with balsamic.