Grilled Fresh Cactus Recipes

NOPALES ASADOS

Steps:

• Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.
• Meanwhile rinse and pat dry the cactus paddles.
• Brush with the olive oil on both sides.
• Sprinkle with salt on both sides.
• Place on the grill and cook for 5 minutes.
• Turn and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• If using the top rack of the grill, the cactus will need more time to cook.

GRILLED SKIRT STEAK WITH CACTUS RELISH

Steps:

• Whisk together the lime juice, chiles, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Generously brush each piece of meat all over with the marinade and roll each piece up into a cylinder. Arrange the rolled steaks in a shallow nonreactive dish and pour on remaining marinade. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 24 to 48 hours.
• About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the meat from the refrigerator. Unroll the steaks and sprinkle with salt.
• Heat the grill to very hot. Cook the steaks just until seared on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board and slice across the grain into diagonal strips. Serve hot with Cactus Relish and warm flour tortillas.
• Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Saute the corn with the salt and pepper, about 5 minutes. Add nopales, tomatillos, and peppers and saute briefly to combine and warm slightly. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool.
• Add cilantro, vinegar and scallions and stir well to combine. Let sit 20 to 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
• Serve at room temperature. Relish can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
• Yield: about 3 cups

GRILLED CACTUS SALAD

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium heat.
• Grill first 4 ingredients 8 to 12 min. or until cactus and onions are crisp-tender, turning occasionally and brushing cactus with 2 Tbsp. dressing for the last 2 min. (Some ingredients will cook faster than others. Transfer ingredients to cutting board as they finish cooking.) Cool 10 min.
• Chop cactus into 3/4-inch pieces; place in large bowl. Chop tomatoes and onions into 1/2-inch pieces; mix with cactus. Discard stems and seeds from chiles; coarsely chop chiles. Add to cactus mixture; mix lightly.
• Stir in remaining ingredients.

GRILLED FRESH CACTUS

Steps:

• 1. Prepare an outdoor grill, if using. If the cactus paddles still have thorns, with gloves on, remove all the thorns from the cactus by scraping them off with a sharp knife (but don't remove the skin) then trim off about 1/4 inch all around the edge of the paddle. Rinse and dry with paper towels. Brush both sides of the cactus with oil. Season with salt and pepper. 2. Preheat a stovetop grill pan if using. Grill the cactus paddles until they are tender and marked by the grill, about 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on the size. Serve 1 grilled paddle to each person, or cut into strips and serve from a plate as a side dish.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SOUTHWESTERN CACTUS SALAD

Steps:

• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine cactus, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and cilantro. Squeeze the juice from both lemons over the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Sprinkle with garlic salt (if you'd like) and serve.

GRILLED CAULIFLOWER STEAKS

Steps:

• Preheat grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Whisk oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, smoked paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, and black pepper together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Remove the tough bottom leaves from each cauliflower, taking care not to remove the stem. Place the cauliflower heads onto a cutting board with the stem side facing upwards; cut vertically on both sides of the stem to remove the loose florets. Reserve florets for another use.
• Cut each cauliflower vertically through the stem into 2 even "steaks", 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Remove any remaining small leaves from each steak. Place the 4 steaks on a baking sheet.
• Brush one side of the steaks with some of the oil mixture. Place steaks on the grill, oiled side down; grill for 5 minutes. Brush more oil mixture on top of the steaks and gently flip over; grill until golden brown and slightly charred, 5 to 7 minutes more. Drizzle with any remaining oil and remove to a plate. Sprinkle with cilantro.