Ingredient Spotlight - Cactus Pads (Nopales)

Artichokes.  Asparagus.  Fresh peas.  I doubt many of my fellow New Englanders would add cactus to this list of veggies we associate with spring, but if we lived in Mexico, we might change our tune.  Cactus pads, or nopales, are grown and sold in Mexico and are at their best in the spring, but they are neither common nor easy to find in the U.S., especially the northern U.S.  This is unfortunate.  If you ever see nopales at the market, do yourself a favor and pick up a few.  Just be careful picking them up - after all, they ARE cactii, and they WILL stab you. 


Preparing nopales is a pain in the you-know-what (and the hands, if you're careless), but I'm willing to put up with a little aggravation in order to experience new tastes and textures.  I found that nopales taste like a cross between a green bean and an artichoke, with the texture of cold Chinese-style jellyfish...wait, what?  OK, I guess I could compare it to just-barely-cooked calamari...but the jellyfish comparison is far more accurate, so if you haven't tried jellyfish, get on that!  Anyway, to prepare fresh nopales, simply trim the edges and slice off the spines using a small, sharp paring knife, then slice into bite-sized pieces, boil in salted water for about 10-15 minutes, and use in recipes of your choice.  I've included two refreshing recipes below!

Nopales Salsa

1 lb. nopales, prepared as described above*
1/2 red onion, minced
1 cup canned tomatillos, drained and chopped
2 fresh serrano chiles, minced
1 t. dried oregano
juice of 1 lime
splash olive oil
handful chopped cilantro
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl.  Chill at least 24 hours to let the flavors blend, then serve as desired.

* If you cannot find fresh nopales, prepared nopales in a jar can be purchased online. 

Individual Rice Bowls with Nopales Salsa

1 cup cooked rice, seasoned with Goya Adobo
1/2 c. shredded grilled chicken (you can also use pork, steak, or shrimp)
1/2 c. nopales salsa
avocado slices, to serve
sour cream, to serve
lime wedges, to serve

In a shallow bowl, place the rice, chicken and nopales salsa alongside each other.  Garnish with the avocado slices, sour cream, and lime wedges.

Cooking for a Cause

The food I cook, the posts I write, and the general tone of this site is intended to be a celebration, a gastronomic gala, a tip of the hat to unapologetic hedonism.  And that is fine - this isn't a newspaper, and it isn't a political forum.  However, I would be remiss if I did not mention this week's tragedy in Japan.  We can definitely put down our forks, knives, and wine goblets for a moment and acknowledge that people are suffering.  As human beings, one of our more appealing qualities is our compassion, our instinctive drive to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters.  So I write this post today with a bit more purpose than usual.  Enjoy the photos, enjoy the recipes, but don't stop there.  Starting tonight, for every re-post or re-tweet, I will donate 50 cents to the Red Cross's relief efforts in Japan.* 

tamarind pods

When I came up with this idea, the devastation was still unfolding and nobody knew who would be affected.  Because this site has readers in at least 10 Pacific Rim countries, I decided to make this weekend's recipes using ingredients native to areas that either were, or could have been, affected by this tragedy.  My readers mean the world to me, and if I can cook for a cause and do something to help, I will gladly do so.  With that, I bring you two recipes - Marinated Salmon with Coconut, and Spiced Beef with Tamarind. 

If you live in a city with a great supermarket and/or a large Asian/Pacific Islander population, most of the ingredients I use should be fairly easy to locate.  If you cannot find tamarind pods, you can buy whole tamarind pods online, or you can substitute prepared tamarind pulp.  If you cannot find serrano chiles, 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes is pretty close to the heat level of one serrano chile. 


Marinated Salmon with Coconut

1 lb. very fresh salmon, sliced into 1/3" strips
juice of 2 limes
1 T. fresh ginger, grated or very finely minced
1-2 shallots, sliced thin
1 serrano chile, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
2/3 c. coconut milk
splash sesame oil
salt and cracked black peppercorns

In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine all ingredients except the coconut milk, sesame oil, salt and pepper.  Mix well, cover, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. 

Once the dish has chilled for at least two hours and the salmon looks "cooked" due to the lime juice, add the coconut milk, sesame oil, salt and pepper.  Toss and serve.  A few extra chile slices or a lime wedge would make a nice garnish. 


Spiced Beef with Tamarind

4 oz. tamarind pods (or substitute 2 T. tamarind paste)
1 T. coconut oil
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
2 shallots, minced
2 serrano chiles (red or green), minced
2 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 lb. beef sirloin, sliced into thin strips
1/4" light rum
1 cup coconut milk
splash sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
cooked rice (when you cook the rice, add a cinnamon stick to the water for additional flavor)
ground cinnamon, for garnish


If you are using fresh tamarind, the pulp must first be extracted from the pods.  This is not a difficult process, but it does take a bit of time and effort and produces a product far superior to the concentrated paste you'll find in jars. 

In the photo collage below, from left to right, you'll see the result of each of the numbered steps below:

1)  Remove the papery husk from each pod.  This will give you a sticky fruit that bears the shape of what you'd see after walking a 25-35 pound dog. 
2)  Remove the fibrous veins from the pods.  These fibers look frighteningly like centipedes. 
3)  Pour boiling water over the prepared pods.  Let soak for 20-30 minutes, or until the pulp is softened and looks even more like dog crap. 
4)  Using a wide-meshed strainer, drain the soaked tamarind pods.  Discard the water.  Holding the strainer over a bowl, press the pods into the mesh using a large spoon.  The seeds should pop out; they look kind of like black chicklets.  Discard the seeds.
5)  Continue to press the pulp through the mesh until all the soft pulp has been extracted.  Any pulp that comes through the mesh but does not drop into the bowl can be scraped off the outside of the strainer with your spoon. 

Once you've extracted the tamarind pulp, set aside and continue with the recipe. 

Heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan until it has melted.  Next, add the cinnamon stick, shallots, chiles, and ginger.  Cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently, then add the beef strips.  Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the beef is mostly brown on the outside. 

Next, add the rum and the reserved tamarind pulp.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the tamarind pulp is completely blended with the rum.  Now, add the coconut milk, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and the coconut milk begins to bubble.  Remove from heat, and remove the cinnamon stick. 

To serve, fill a greased measuring cup with cooked rice.  Invert the cup in the middle of a bowl or plate.  Spoon the beef and its sauce around the inverted rice mold, then sprinkle the rice with a dusting of ground cinnamon. 

*  Because money doesn't grow on trees, this is not without limits - but I'm going to do what I can!

Seafood en Espanol

In my travels two weeks ago, I found a Spanish cookbook on sale for $7.99.  Since that purchase, I've wanted to give my cooking a little sabor espanol.  Unfortunately, I haven't had time to sleep lately, much less cook and write, but when I found out that A) my weekend plans were pretty low-key and I'd actually have some time on my hands, and B) Mercato del Mare had razor clams (which I've never tried before), I put my mind to creating the feast of all feasts and seasoning each dish with a sprinkling of sunny Spain. 
 

live razor clams

While most of the ingredients in these recipes are fairly common, you can make simple substitutions for the ingredients you cannot locate.  For example, if you cannot find Manchego cheese, use an aged monterey jack.  Any kind of firm sprouts can be used in place of the pea shoots, just don't use alfalfa sprouts - they're too flimsy.  Any live clam can be used in place of the razor clam, and if you can't locate monkfish, use small (approx 2 oz) pieces of tuna, swordfish, or shark steaks. 

Quinoa and Roasted Red Pepper Timbales

2 c. chicken broth or vegetable stock
1 c. uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/2 t. cumin seeds
1/2 t. smoked sea salt
1 T. smoked paprika
1/3 cup shredded Manchego cheese
1 fresh red chile, minced (optional)
2 roasted red bell peppers, minced (for instructions, click here)
olive oil

Bring the chicken broth to a boil, then add the quinoa and cumin.  Stir, reduce heat, and let simmer for approximately 15 minutes, or until the liquid has completely evaporated.  Stir in all remaining ingredients except the minced roasted red bell pepper and remove from heat. 

Next, take a small drinking glass or measuring cup, pour in a little olive oil and cover the inside of the glass entirely.  It should be very slippery.  Add a layer of the cooked quinoa and pack in, but not too tightly or it could stick (you might want to practice this a few times - my first try was a disaster, but you develop a feel for it!).  Next, add a layer of the minced roasted red bell pepper.  Add more layers, alternating between quinoa and red pepper, as shown in photo to the left.  Repeat until the cup is filled. 

To serve, invert the molds on a plate (as shown in photo below), and garnish with any additional red pepper. 




Steamed Razor Clams with Pimenton Gremolata

For the gremolata:
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 large garlic clove, very finely minced
1 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. smoked sea salt

For the clams:
1/4 c. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. fresh red chile, minced
1/4 c. dry white wine
juice of 1 lemon
1 lb. razor clams

First, make the gremolata by combining all gremolata ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside.

In a large frying pan with a lid, heat the olive oil, then add the garlic and chile.  Saute for a few minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant, but do not let the garlic burn.  Now, add the wine and lemon juice.  Stir to blend, then add the clams.  Cover, then simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the shells have opened.  Remove from heat, but keep warm.

Razor clams require a little more work than regular clams, so be sure to follow this step after steaming if using razor clams rather than regular clams.  You'll see that the clam kind of splits into a "Y" shape - grab the arm of the "Y" that connects to the dark organs, and pull - this should separate the muscle part of the clam from the dark bits.  Just pull and discard the dark bits, and if there is any dark matter remaining, squeeze or slice it away.  Repeat with all the clams. 

To serve, place the cleaned clams back into their shells, sprinkle with a pinch of the gremolata, and arrange on a plate, as shown in the picture above. 



Pea Shoots with Garlic Dressing

1 bunch pea shoots
Reserved cooking liquid from steamed clams

Separate the pea shoots into small parcels, and find the longest shoot in each bunch.  Use the long shoot to tie the others together.  Spoon a few teaspoons of the clam cooking oil over each parcel, making sure to include some of the garlic and chile bits. 



Monkfish Medallions with Sherried Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

For the sauce:
1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. Amontillado sherry
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 t. smoked paprika
2 T. heavy cream
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

For the monkfish:
1 monkfish tail, cut into 1.5 inch thick medallions
flour seasoned with salt and pepper, for dredging
olive oil, for frying

First, make the sauce.  Combine all the ingredients in a blender, puree until liquefied, and set aside. 

Take each of the monkfish medallions and dredge in the seasoned flour, making sure to shake off any excess flour.  Set aside.  Heat a large, heavy bottomed frying pan.  When it is hot, add a generous splash of olive oil.  Once the olive oil is heated and covers the entire surface of the pan, add the monkfish medallions and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until slightly golden.  Remove from heat when they are done. 

To serve, place 2-3 medallions on a plate and drizzle with the Sherried Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.