Nopalitos and Tostadas

 

An efriend in another (East Coast) state uses nopalitos interestingly, thus I was spurred to give them a try.  I’ve seen them on the grocery store shelves here in the desert for many years, and, indeed, a huge cactus with these paddles grows in my front yard, but we had never actually *tasted* such a food.  Well, yesterday was the day that it happened.  And like many things, I certainly wish I had taken the plunge earlier.

I am not a fan of hot peppers, so I had my doubts; but my fears were for naught.  They have the texture of a black olive, and are just the slightest bit tangy – not at all like I had imagined.  A clerk in the grocery store yesterday suggested using them with pork, which I will do, but here is our lunch from yesterday where I incorporated them.  Yes, there are only two on the plate, but we were sneaking up on them slowly.  After we found out how good they were, we piled them high on our tostadas.

The little pecan pie was a special treat, although to call it “pecan” might have been a stretch.  Fortunately, I buy chopped pecans in five-pound bags, so there were plenty to add to the cut pie.  I cut it in half, heated them for a few seconds in the microwave, and then stuck all the pecans I could into the thick, gel-like filling.  It was nice for a treat, but I wouldn’t want to be faced with an entire pie.  This little impulse purchase size was sufficient.

The nopalitos, however, were a great hit, and I shall be finding lots of foods to add them to, or just to use them as an interesting topping to many dishes.

Advertisement