Nopales And Roasted Corn Tacos Food

WARM NOPALITOS WITH SAUTEED CORN AND GUAJILLO

Steps:

• Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy skillet (that has a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the diced nopales, sprinkle the salt and stir for a minute or two. Place the lid on, reduce the heat to medium and let the nopales cook and sweat for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. They will have exuded a gelatinous liquid that will begin to dry out. Take off the lid, stir and make sure most of the liquid has dried up; if it hasn't, let them cook for a couple more minutes until it does.
• Pour in the third tablespoon of oil, mix with the nopales and incorporate the garlic, chopped onion, guajillo chiles and corn. Mix well and let it cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Squeeze in a tablespoon of fresh lime juice, mix and place the lid back on. Let the nopales cook for another 3 to 4 minutes and turn off the heat. Taste for salt and add more if need be.
• If you have any leftovers, they make a wonderful filling for quesadillas.

NOPALES ASADOS TACOS

Steps:

• Place the nopales on a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Let them cook for 6-8 minutes on each side or until they turn olive green. They should also have some grill marks and have begun to release a bit of their slime out the sides. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of the nopales, but they should have softened.
• Remove them from the heat and set them on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut them into 1/2" thick strips. Set them aside.
• In a medium sized bowl, mix the onion, tomato, serrano pepper, and cilantro until well combined. Add the sliced nopales and mix well. Season with salt to taste.
• Place 3-4 tortillas in a large griddle or pan over low heat. You can also use a comal if you have one. Don't overlap them too much so they heat evenly. Let them heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until soft and bendy. Remove them from the heat and set them aside. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm.
• Assemble the tacos with warm corn tortillas and the nopales asados mixture. Add cotija cheese and salsa to taste.

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.