INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

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  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster
collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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