Life's Adventures Around the Globe

Passport & Plate - Stuffed Cactus- Noples rellenos

Mexico | Sunday, March 1, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients

6 whole cactus paddles/leaves - cooked or raw
4 eggs separated
1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp japapeño powder OR cayenne chili powder (optional) I love it spicy so I use both!
White melting cheese (Oaxaca, Cheddar, Monterrey, Manchego, or Panela work great)
Salt & Pepper to taste
vegetable oil
toothpicks

Sauce
3 med tomatoes
1 med onion halved
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup of water
1Tbs of chicken bullion powder (Knorr / Maggie) seasoning OR salt to taste.


How to prepare this recipe

Note. This recipes can be made with raw or precooked boiled cactus. If you are using raw cactus paddles clean them carefully removing the thorns and trimming the edge of the nopal (cactus) all the way around. If you are using precooked boiled cactus the thorns have already been removed just rinse cactus paddles and pat dry.
1.Prepare your cactus by selecting 6 paddles of similar size.
2. Make a sandwich with the cactus placing a layer of cheese in the middle of two cactus paddles and secure them with toothpicks.
3. Prepare flour by seasoning it with black pepper, your choice of chili powder and salt to taste( optional) . You can avoid the flour all together.
4.Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks and slowly add the yolks.
5.Heat oil in a skillet and prepare to fry the cactus by placing a plate with absorbing towels paper next to your stove.
6.Dip the cactus into the egg batter and fry on each side until golden brown. Set aside on absorbing paper towels.
Sauce
Blend the tomatoes, 1/2 onion , garlic, seasoning, and water.
Place the tomato mix in a sauce pot.
Cut the remaining half onion into thin slices , and add to the pot. Bring sauce to a boil on high heat. Once the sauce boils , reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on.

To serve pour the warm sauce on a plate , place a golden stuff cactus on top and enjoy! Please note that sauce in this recipe is optional you can enjoy the dish with out it accompanying your cactus with your own favorite Mexican salsa and crema.

The story behind this recipe
Mexico is a country in which 80% of the population is Catholic and during lent it is customary to fast and skip the consumption of meat on Fridays. Having no meat many people across the country go back to their roots and enjoy delectable vegetarian recipes using simple ingredients that were around since Aztec times.

To me this cactus recipe brings back many childhood memories in particular, the days leading up to Easter Sunday. Growing up, I quickly learned that once cactus started appearing on the dinner table the Easter bunny was around the corner. As a child I did not like to eat my vegetables, much less weird ones such as cactus. Don't get me wrong stuffed cactus is great, but as a child being born and raised in the USA I wanted to have normal Friday dinners like my friends did. I wished for pasta and meatballs but having a Mexican mom I got cactus and rice instead!

The thing about Mexican moms is that there is always some one watching. In December it's baby Jesus and Santa if your bad you don't get presents from them on Christmas. In January, if you don't pass exams you won't get a visit from the Three Wise Men and they won't fill your shoes with candy on January 6th.So how do you get a kid to eat their cactus ? You simply say as all the Mexican moms do "the Easter bunny is watching, and if you don't eat the cactus you won't find any Easter eggs with candy on Easter Sunday." With that said all cacti was scarfed, by my siblings and I without hesitation. I even kept track of how many cacti I ate hoping for an egg for each one consumed. I love making this dish because it actually makes me feel like a kid again, eagerly waiting for Easter Sunday.

Now as an adult I can't wait to start a family and prepare traditional recipes such as this one passed on to me by my mother. I'm also eager to use her ingenuity-story telling (blackmail) tactics to get my future kids to try something new and taste a bit of what their ancestors ate years ago.