Cheese Stuffed Breaded Fried Nopales Cactus Paddles Food

NOPALES CACTUS TACOS

Steps:

• Special equipment: thin gloves.
• For the nopales cactus:.
• Prepare a grill for medium heat. Wearing thin gloves, use a sharp paring knife, held at a 45-degree angle to the paddles, to carefully remove the spines. Make 3 to 5 slits in the skin of the cactus and rub all over with the garlic clove, then the oil. Sprinkle with some salt.
• Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the nopales cactus until lightly charred, and the pad becomes tender, flipping once, 10 to 15 minutes total. Set aside to cool, then cut into 1/4-inch strips.
• For the ancho chile puree:.
• Place a dry, nonstick pan over medium heat and lightly toast the chile, turning occasionally,10 minutes. Turn the heat off and step back from the pan to add 3 tablespoons of water, being careful not to let the steam burn you. Cover and let the chile soak 15 minutes.
• Transfer the chile with its water to a blender with a pinch of salt and puree until smooth, adding more water if needed. Combine 3 tablespoons of the resulting paste with the olive oil and the remaining 2 to 3 pinches of salt, or more to taste. (Save the rest of the paste for another use.).
• For the roasted tomato salsa:.
• Combine the tomatoes, quartered Serranos and onions in a large bowl. Toss with the canola oil. Spread the tomatoes, onions, quartered Serranos, 1 clove garlic and bay leaf in a baking pan. Place under the broiler and char until nicely colored, stirring occasionally, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the dried ancho chiles in a container of water and allow to hydrate, 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle the broiled vegetables evenly with the paprika, then toss to coat and return to the broiler, about 1 minute. Watch carefully and do not allow the paprika to burn. Remove from the broiler. Stir in the chopped Serranos, ancho chiles (discard the water), chile flakes and olive oil. Allow to marinate in the pan at room temperature, tossing occasionally, 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
• Chop the tomatoes and stir them together with the other vegetables in a bowl, tearing off and adding small amounts of toasted bread as needed to thicken. Add the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
• Mince the remaining clove garlic. Stir into the salsa along with the cilantro, lime juice and Mexican oregano. Stir in additional salt to taste.
• For the avocado crema:.
• Combine the avocado flesh, lime juice, orange juice, lemon juice, cilantro and salt to taste in a food processor, and pulse until pureed. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer and adjust seasoning to taste.
• For the tacos:.
• Place the tortillas on a serving plate. Spread with the ancho chile puree using the back of a spoon. Arrange a thin layer of nopales cactus strips over the ancho chile puree. Add a layer of shredded lettuce and spoon some roasted tomato salsa over the top. Drizzle with some avocado crema, and sprinkle with the cheese. Serve immediately.

CHEESE STUFFED BREADED FRIED NOPALES (CACTUS PADDLES)

Steps:

• Mix first 3 ingredients and place this mixture betwen two nopal slices. You can also use just one slice, spreading filling on one side, rolling it and securing ends with a toothpick.
• Pass through beaten egg and then through bread crumbs.
• Fry in hot oil and serve.

ALMOST-FAMOUS STUFFED CHEESY BREAD

Steps:

• Make the dough: Whisk the sugar and 3/4 cup warm water (about 105 degrees F) in a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vegetable oil. Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, pour in the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to make a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a generously floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, dusting with more flour as needed. Form into a ball. Brush a large bowl with vegetable oil; add the dough, turning to coat with the oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.
• Make the filling and topping: Toss 1/2 cup mozzarella, the cheddar, pecorino, garlic salt, granulated garlic and dried parsley in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put an inverted baking sheet in the oven; preheat for 10 minutes. Line another inverted baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with the cornmeal. Cut the dough in half; transfer 1 piece to the parchment-lined baking sheet and stretch into an 8-inch square (keep the other piece of dough covered). Sprinkle 1 side of the square with 1/2 cup of the remaining mozzarella, then fold the dough in half to enclose the cheese, pressing to seal. Slice the dough crosswise at 1-inch intervals, stopping just before the folded edge. Sprinkle with half of the cheese-garlic mixture. Move the dough to 1 side of the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, mozzarella and cheese-garlic mixture on the other side of the baking sheet. Slide the bread on the parchment onto the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the dough is cooked through and the cheese is golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool slightly, then pull apart into breadsticks.

HUARACHES - STUFFED PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS PADDLES - STUFFED NOPALE

Steps:

• Place the whole cactus paddles, onion and garlic in a large pot with water to cover and salt to taste.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, or until the nopales are tender but still firm.
• Drain and rinse.
• Starting at the wide, curved end, carefully slice each paddle horizontally, as if butterflying a chop for stuffing.
• Do not cut all the way through to the narrow end (the thicker part where the pad is attached to the main plant) but leave approximately 1 1/2" uncut.
• Place a slice of cheese between the two sections and press flat.
• Dredge the paddles in flour.
• Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks, and fold in the lightly beaten egg yolks.
• Pour enough oil into large skillet so that it comes up at least 1/2 inch.
• Heat the oil until sizzling hot.
• Dip the stuffed nopales in the egg batter to coat and fry in the hot oil until golden brown on each side.
• Serve immediately with red salsa.