Prickly pears have been a staple of the Mexican and Central American diet for thousands of years. Now also in other parts of the world, including Europe, this fruit is gaining good popularity. The prickly pear has many qualities and is loved for its exotic, sought-after and healthy characteristics. The edible parts of the cactus are three: the leaves, also called pale, which can be treated like any vegetable, the flower petals that can be added to a salad and the fruits, which can be easily compared to the more classic fruit. They grow spontaneous and wild in many areas of the world, and in the Mediterranean, and are also cultivated and, for this reason, they can be easily found in many supermarkets.
Ingrediants
- Pale (fleshy leaves of the cactus)
- Prickly pears (cactus fruit)
- Pepper, salt and other spices
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Pale
Step 1. Buy or search for some cactus leaves
Before doing this, read the Warnings section carefully and remember that they are covered in thorns.
- Choose shovels with a bright color and firm texture.
- The small and young blades harvested in spring seem to be the most succulent and delicate, moreover their thorns are fewer in number. The thicker the leaves, the older they are. Old blades tend to be fibrous and their sap has a rather dense texture, which may not appeal to everyone. It therefore leaves the largest leaves to the animals that usually feed on them and which often make it the only source of sustenance in some seasons. The softer paddles can be sold as baby paddles.
- If you have decided to harvest cactus leaves yourself, wear very sturdy gloves. Snap or cut the blades off the stem to reduce the stress placed on both the plant and the leaf you removed. This will keep the plant healthy even for the next harvests.
Step 2. Remove the bones from the shovel using a vegetable peeler or small knife
Don't take off your gloves until you have washed and peeled the leaves and thrown away all the scraps. Not only do cactus leaves have large, clearly visible thorns, they also have a lot of very fine ones that are difficult to spot with the naked eye. Often it is the latter, called glochids, that are the most irritating and the most difficult to eliminate. Alternatively, you can remove both the thorns and the glochids by burning them with a small flame, such as that of the stove. Read the Warnings section.
Step 3. Wash the shovel under cold water
Remove any stains or dents.
Step 4. Cut or slice the blades (clean the blade of the knife after each cut as there may be small thorns attached to them) or leave them whole, depending on the use you need to make of them
Step 5. Cook them
You can boil or grill them, perhaps combining them with other ingredients to create a healthy and unique dish.
- If you decide to boil them you may need to drain and boil them several times, a lot depends on the thickness of the blades. The thicker the leaves, the denser the sap will be.
- Boiling them with a copper coin is a common remedy for thinning the sap and making dinner more enjoyable, especially if any of your guests are not used to this dish.
- Usually the boiled shovels are drained, washed under cold water and served in salads with tomatoes, onion, coriander and jalapeños. Season them with vinegar, salt, and lime juice.
- If you have chosen to grill your shovels sprinkle them with a generous dose of salt, pepper and spices of your choice. They will be ready when they become tender and slightly golden.
- The grilled and sliced shovels can be seasoned with lime juice and oil and can be accompanied with grilled mushrooms.
- You can add cooked shovels to a soup, salad or omelette. Alternatively, you can pickle them or eat them alone.
- Green sauce shovels are a traditional Mexican dish in which the leaves are cut into strips and boiled. Once cooked, they are sautéed in a traditional sauce based on "tomatillos" (not to be confused with green tomatoes, the tomatillos are enclosed in a paper-like wrapper), onion, garlic, coriander and chillies (blend the ingredients and then put them on the fire for a slow cooking). Normally this recipe is served in a soft tortilla, in a taco or with nachos.
Method 2 of 2: Prickly pears
Step 1. Buy or harvest prickly pears
- There are different varieties of fruits, but those with red / orange or purple skin and dark purple pulp are considered the sweetest.
- Often, figs bought at the supermarket have already been thornless and can be touched with bare hands. Freshly picked prickly pears, on the other hand, are covered in glochids that will drive you crazy if they come into contact with your skin. Just to be sure use gloves or at least a plastic bag.
- If you are looking for prickly pears remember that although all of them are edible, only some of them will be at the right ripeness and will have the sweetness and flavor you are looking for. Pick them up when they are a nice bright, vibrant purple and just before they start to pucker.
Step 2. Remove the thorns
Put the figs in a plastic colander, 5 or 6 at a time, and leave them under running water. Move them under water for 3 or 4 minutes, being careful not to damage them. At this point all the thin thorns have been removed and you can pick them up
Step 3. Peel them
- Remove the fluff on both ends (where the skin is thicker). It will take some practice to learn how to cut. Generally it is useful to remove the peel without reaching the central seed.
- Score the peel with a knife making a cut lengthwise. Lift the skin from the crack created and peel the whole fruit.
Step 4. Slice it or serve it skewered on a fork or long toothpick
- The pulp of prickly pears can be used to make jam, jelly, sorbet, liqueur or candy.
- The seeds can be swallowed (being careful not to bite them because they are very hard) or spit out.
- Some people add the seeds to soups or dry them and then plant them in the ground.
Step 5. Finished
Advice
- You can usually buy shovels and figs of different lengths. The 20 cm long blades are classified as small, while the 10 cm long figs are classified as medium. Longer fruits and leaves can be difficult to prepare.
- The flavor of prickly pears was compared to that of kiwifruit with a lower acidity.
- Prickly pears are eaten in the United States in Mexico and also in European countries and in all those bordering the Mediterranean. In Italy they are often served in a bowl full of water and in Malta it is common to put the fruit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
- In some cases the glochids can be easily removed by rubbing the fruit against a sturdy piece of fabric. Of course, the fabric should only be used for that purpose. Some say that Native Americans rubbed the fruits and leaves in the sand to remove the glochids.
- Cooked shovels have a flavor comparable to that of snow peas while their consistency recalls that of okra, and for this reason not everyone likes them. The similarity is accentuated when the blades are overcooked.
- If you want to store the shovels in the refrigerator make sure they are fresh and wrinkle-free. Wrap them in cling film. You can keep them for up to 2 weeks.
- The first time you buy the shovels instead of collecting them yourself. You will learn about them and you will know what to look for.
- If thin thorns are stuck in your skin, don't make it worse with tweezers. Apply a layer of vinyl glue on the area of the skin where the thorns are, let it dry and when it has solidified, remove the layer of glue as if you were peeling a fruit. The thorns will come off with the glue. (This method also works with splinters). If they are not removed, the glochids will burrow into the skin, so be very careful. If you don't have glue on hand, and the plugs are bothering you a lot, try some sturdy tape.
- Over time, you may find that glochids are not that bothersome when you often work with cacti and that the itching they cause is intermittent. However, those of some Opuntia are larger than the spines of some of the other species. In particular, the glochids of Texensis Opuntia Engelmanii, as well as its spines, can be very, very painful. In any case, the use of gloves is always recommended for the management of some areas of the body where the skin is particularly sensitive or in case you want to caress someone who is not used to thorns.
- Learn and find out how beneficial cacti are for your health.
- By grilling the blades over a flame, the thorns will be burned. The shovels can also be used to feed livestock for short periods.
Warnings
- Some species of prickly pears do not have thorns, but all they have glochids.
- Unless you have very thick gloves it is best to use oven gloves or any other "remote" ploy.
- If you are reaping the rewards of your cultivation always wear hand protection.
- Be careful, cactus spines can get into the skin and cause a lot of pain.
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Image Spines Be very careful when removing the spines; alternatively, buy pruned shovels or figs.
