Nopal Recipe Ideas

We’re missing our weekly workshops but thought we’d share this Prickly Pear Potato Salad from our

Harvesting Nopal Workshop & Demonstration with Monika Woolsey, Hip Veggies, don’t miss trying some of her favorite recipes: Prickly Pear Potato Salad and Nopal Quick Bread.

Read more to see full recipes.

Prickly Pear Potato Salad

by Mark Lewis

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, dried wolfberries, or dried ground cherries
  • 3-4 hand-sized prickly pear pads, prepared
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 of a large red onion, sliced thin
  • 3 lbs purple potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons dark mustard or fresh horseradish puree
  • 1 teaspoon dried cilantro or coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon black or green peppercorn or ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Fresh cilantro leaves, finely diced

To make the dressing:

Soak dried berries/tomatoes using just enough boiling water to cover, a couple of tablespoons.

Dice, drain, and reserve.

To make the nopales:

Dice prepared and cooked pads. Set aside.

To prepare the potatoes:

  1. Cut potatoes into small sized chunks/pieces and dice. Boil potato pieces until tender.
  2. Drain all but a few tablespoons cooking water in bottom of pot/bowl).
  3. Set aside, keeping warm and moist.

To assemble the salad:

  1. Combine vinegar, mustard/horseradish, dried cilantro/coriander, pepper, and salt with water from making dressing, and leftover potato water from base; mix vigorously.
  2. Combine tomatoes, garlic, onion, and nopales with dressing. Toss and coat thoroughly.
  3. Add in potatoes in portions, and toss so all are coated with dressing.
  4. Place in serving bowl or onto deep platter and garnish with generous amounts of finely diced fresh cilantro.
  5. Serve.

This recipe is from Mark Lewis. Mark, a Paipai tribal member, who was recently featured on KUAT’s Horizon, where he discussed native foraging and gleaning with host Ted Simon.

Nopal Quick Bread

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups of flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 5 medium eggs
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ lb. diced nopal, juiced*
  • ¼ cup dried fruit ,nuts, or berries

Recipe:

  1. Grease and flour two bread pans
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  3. In a bowl, sift and mix the flour, baking powder , and cinnamon . Mix the eggs, vanilla, canola oil, sugar, and nopal juice in the blender: Add liquid mix to dry ingredients. Stir in dried fruit.
  4. Pour the mixture into each of the pans and bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees .
  5. Cool and unmold

*I always ask the juice bar at Ranch Market to juice my nopal pads. They can easily jam up a household blender or juicer. If you juice at home, be sure to clean the blades immediately. One easy way to do this is to immediately follow the nopal with an acidic fruit like pineapple or green apple.

Posted in Recipe, Recipe Box