What to Do With Nopales... (Part 2)

I will admit it, I really like nopales.  

Along with them being very cheap here (12 pads for about 80 cents), they are highly nutritious, and easy to prepare.  All these characteristics, as well as their being the prime ingredient in one of my favorite breakfasts, make them a staple in my house.

So on that note, I think today is a great time to show you my very favorite way of preparing nopales.

Nopales Con Huevo (Cactus with Eggs)

Adapted From: The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy*

2 Tb Vegetable Oil

1 lb Nopales (about 5-6 medium pads), cleaned and diced (3 1/2 cups)

3 Roma Tomatoes (8 oz), finely diced (1 1/3 cups)

2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

1/3 cup White Onion, finely chopped

2 Serrano Peppers (small), finely chopped**

Salt to taste

3 Large Eggs

Assembly all the ingredients along with a large cutting board and your favorite chopping knife.

Dice the cleaned nopales into medium sized pieces.

Finely dice the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and serrano peppers.  Heat the oil in a large (12 inch) skillet.

Put all the vegetables into oil in the heated skillet.  Add salt to taste (approximately 1/2 to 1 tsp).  Stir to mix the ingredients and cover the pan.  (You need to trap the steam to properly cut the nopales.)  Cook over medium heat, occasionally stirring the vegetables (only 3-4 times) for about 25 minutes, until the mixture is dry and well seasoned.

The nopales will undergo a color change from bright green to this dull hue.  This color change, along with the evaporation of all the liquid that was released from the vegetables, indicates that they are ready for the next step.

Crack three large eggs directly into the skillet.  Stir the eggs to mix in and continue stirring until set.

Once you have the finished product, you can eat them on their own or as a filling for tacos.  And while I love them for breakfast, there is nothing wrong with serving them for lunch or a light dinner.

For this breakfast, I served them with blue corn tortillas, but any type of corn tortillas would work well.

Buen provecho!
~ Kim

*Many thanks to my friend Shauyi and her brother George for buying me this book as my wedding gift.  They win the "Most Needed Gift that I Had No Idea Existed" Award.
**Two small serrano peppers give this a nice bite, if you are not a fan of spicy, feel free to just use one - so you can have some flavor.  Or if you love spiciness, you could go up to four, as was in the original recipe.  Just be warned that the same type of pepper on any given day can have a very different level of spiciness.  And a little can go a long way.