Ensalada de Nopales Asados
Grilled Nopales Salad
Today’s recipe is an old favorite called Ensalada de Nopales Asados. We have nopales at the school, that Jesse used in the dish, but I have been getting some beautiful tiny string beans from Los Danzantes Culinary Garden. I wanted to try them with the remaining salad dressing. They were blanched slightly, then tossed with tomatoes in the anise dressing, and they were fabulous! Some of you don’t like the gooeyness of the nopales and they may not be so readily available for all of you, so any kind of green beans would suffice. We hope you will enjoy!
Makes 16 five-inch tostadas.
Ingredients
1 pound fresh nopales, with spines removed; in a pinch you can use bottled, but rinse them well in cold water
9 garlic cloves
¾ pound tomatoes (1½medium to large round or 6-7 plum), cut into small chunks
5 cebollitas or green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and cut in small chunks (Haas or native type)
½ cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 star anise
1/3 cup red wine or apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
2 packages small tostadas, about 5” in diameter, oven-toasted until crisp, or fried corn tortillas
¼ pound queso fresco or queso añejo, crumbled
Method
On a 10 inch dry comal, griddle or cast iron frying pan, roast the nopales until they are brown in color, turning them to cook evenly on both sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Roast the garlic cloves on the same dry griddle for about 3 minutes, until translucent. Finely chop. When the nopales are cool enough to handle, cut them in ½ inch strips and then cut them cross-wise in 1 inch long diagonals. Put them in a bowl and add the chopped garlic, tomatoes, cebollitas, avocados and cilantro.
Grind the star anise in a molcajete or spice grinder, then add the vinegar, the lime juice, salt and pepper. (If you use a spice grinder, place the ground star anise in a small bowl, then whisk in the vinegar, lime juice, salt, and pepper.) Whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss lightly, coating the vegetables well.
To serve, spread spoonfuls of the salad on the tostadas then sprinkle with the fresh cheese. If you want the salad to be picante, top with a bit of salsa de chile pasilla.
Hints: I use small taco-sized tortillas and bake them until crisp on cookie sheets at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once.
Fresh blanched green beans would be a suitable substitute for the nopales, with a very different flavor.
