Ingredients
1 no ingredients
Directions
The prickly pear cactus plant grows wild throughout the southern
region of Arizona where the air is warm and dry. It produces large,
green, succulent pads that bear plump, juicy fruits in the late
summer months.
NOPALES
Prickly pear pads (nopales) have been eaten by the Native Americans
for centuries. The pads are picked from the cactus but nust be
handled with care; the hairlike spines that project from the pads can
easily get caught in your skin.
Cactus pads are found in most Mexican markets. It is better to
choose the smaller and thicker deep-green pads because they are the
most tender. Usually fresh cactus pads ar esold whole. For
convenience, however, they may also be purchased in jars already
diced and even precooked in their natural juices.
To clean the whole pads, hold them with a kitchen towel and remove the
spines and rounded outside edge of the pads with a small paring knife
or vegetable peeler.
PRICKLY PEAR FRUITS
Traditionally, prickly pear fruits are harvested in late summer. A
brush made from wild grass is used to remove their fine, hairlike
prickers and soft spines. To remove the prickers in a more
conventional way, hold the fruit with metal tongs under cold running
water and scrub the prickers off with a vegetable scrubbing brush.
When selecting fruits from the marketplace, be careful to choose
those that are soft but not overripe. The may range in color from
greenish-yellow to bright red, the latter being the ripest and best
to eat. If the spines have not been removed, be careful when handling
the fruits; the spines are small and difficult to remove from your
hands. If only green fruits are available, store them at room
temperature until they ripen to red.
To extract the juice from the fruits, wash them thoroughly under cold
running water, cut off the ends, and cut in half lengthwise. Place
then in a food processor and puree to a fine pulp. Press the pulp
through a fine sieve, using a wooden spoon or spatula to remove the
seeds, which should be discarded. Use the juice according to recipe
instructions. Twelve prickly pears make approximately 1 cup ofjuice.
From "Native American Cooking," by Lois Ellen Frank
Posted by Michael Prothro KOOK-NET
:þ Mike's Resort BBS, Fayetteville,AR,(501)521-8920þ
Servings: 1 servings
Cooking With The Prickly Pear Cactus Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Pear
The History of Recipes
It is quite possible to prove the history of transcribed cooking instructions back into ancient history, certainly as far back into history as pharonic Egypt, and possibly even further. However, sadly, these ancient cook books were just very basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing meals.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to food historians is a collection of clay tablets in ancient Sumerian describing the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who drank it feel exhilarated and blissful. As we move into The time of the romans 25BC a man called Apicius created some documents detailing recipes enjoyed by the Romans. In his works, Apicius describes how the meals were divided into appetizers, main course and afters, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. Aspicius also tells us how the early Romans made use of many herbs and spices, including many that are still in use today such as bay, rue and parsley. Later, in the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back a variety of foods and spices from Arab cuisine, such as coriander, parsley, and rosemary. These new herbs and spices created an increase in manuscripts on cooking, the majority of which still exist in academic collections. During the next few hundred years, the rich families of the West competed to serve up the most extravagent meals, and because of this cooks and their recipes could command a high salary. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century that cooking and cookery books really came of age. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to collecting, verifying, and recording recipes for their fellow cooks to enjoy. When we get to the twentieth century, recipe books were greatly in demand as a result of better eduction, people having increased leisure time and having more disposable income. The TV revolution brought us TV chefs and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of the internet, permitting everybody to access massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this Cooking With The Prickly Pear Cactus recipe.
