Nopales (also called nopalitos) are the pads from prickly pear cactus. They are peeled then cooked and eaten as a vegetable. You have to handle them carefully during the preparation because they might still have needles in them. Once you have cleaned and trimmed your nopales, cook them as directed below. Grilling is the best cooking option since you will be less likely to overcook the nopales, which makes them slimy, but directions for boiling these are included below. Once cooked you can use these in your favorite nopales recipes (see Resources).
Instructions
1. Put the gloves on before handling the nopales.
2. Peel or cut off the needles and "eyes" off the pads. The eyes are tiny nodules that resemble the eyes on potatoes.
3. Brush the whole nopales on both sides with oil and place on a hot grill.
4. Cook on the grill, turning every few minutes until they are browned on both sides and tender. If you do not want to cook them on the grill, continue to the next step to boil them.
5. Slice nopales and put them into a pot of boiling water with salt for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.
6. Drain the nopales and rinse in cold water before using in a nopales recipe (see Resources).
Tags: both sides, cook them, minutes until
