Nopales Asados con Xoconostle, Sierra Gorda Otomí

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or well-fired clay comal
• •Sharp paring knife for cleaning nopales and xoconostle
• •Tongs or thin metal spatula
• •Small basalt molcajete or mortar for chilcuague and sal de grano
• •Wide barro cazuela or simple clay platter for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the nopales

   Check the nopales even if the vendor says they are cleaned. Run the back of a knife over the surface and edges to catch any stubborn spines. Trim the tough base and the thin rim. Rinse quickly and pat them very dry. Score each paddle with shallow diagonal cuts, not all the way through. Do not dice them raw. Dice raw nopal and you invite baba everywhere before the comal has a chance to do its work.

2. 2

   Cut the xoconostle

   Trim the ends from the xoconostles, peel off the firm skin, and quarter the fruit. Cut away the seed core and dice the tart flesh small. Taste one piece. It should be sharp and sour, not sweet like tuna roja. If it tastes like dessert fruit, your vendor gave you the wrong cactus fruit. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado.

3. 3

   Mix the dressing

   In a bowl, combine the diced xoconostle, white onion, chile serrano, lime juice, cilantro, oregano de monte, sal de grano, and the tiny pinch of chilcuague if using. Stir and let it sit for 10 minutes while the comal heats. The xoconostle will release its own tart juice. The limón supports it. It does not replace it.

   Chilcuague tingles on the tongue. Use a pinch, not a spoonful. It is a Sierra Gorda root, not powdered chile, and it should whisper through the dressing.
4. 4

   Heat the comal

   Heat a dry cast iron or well-fired clay comal over medium-high for 5 minutes. No oil. No manteca on the cactus. The nopal needs direct contact with the comal so the surface chars and the baba dries instead of steaming in its own liquid. Save the manteca de cerdo for the frijoles bayos next to the plate. La manteca es el sabor, but only where it belongs.

5. 5

   Roast the nopales

   Lay the nopal paddles on the hot comal in a single layer. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on the first side, pressing the edges down with a spatula when they curl. Turn and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. They should turn from bright green to deep olive, with blackened spots and dry edges. You want char, not ash. If liquid puddles underneath, the comal is too cool.

   Do not keep moving the nopales. Contact builds flavor. Fidgeting builds nothing.
6. 6

   Rest and slice

   Move the roasted nopales to a board and let them rest for 3 minutes. Slice them into wide strips, or leave the paddles whole if you are serving them beside carne asada. Taste one edge before dressing. It should be tender but still have bite, with the clean, green flavor of cactus and the bitterness of the comal just at the edge.

7. 7

   Dress and serve

   Arrange the warm nopales in a shallow barro cazuela or clay platter. Spoon the xoconostle dressing over the top, including the juices at the bottom of the bowl. Taste for salt. Serve warm or at room temperature with corn tortillas and, if this is the whole supper, frijoles bayos refritos in manteca de cerdo. No flour tortillas here. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •Buy whole nopal paddles, not the pre-diced bag sitting in its own slime. The paddle should look firm, glossy, and alive. If the cut edge is brown or the paddle bends like wet cardboard, leave it at the stall.
• •Xoconostle is not optional. Lime alone makes a sharp dressing, not this dish. If you cannot find xoconostle, wait until the market has it or make another nopal preparation. No me vengas con atajos.
• •The best xoconostles feel heavy for their size and have taut skin. Wrinkled fruit can still work in a cooked salsa, but for this raw dressing you want clean tartness and a firm dice.
• •Chilcuague is a Bajío and Sierra Gorda marker. If you find the root, grate only a little with the salt in a small molcajete. If you do not find it, leave it out. Do not replace it with hot sauce.
• •Serve these nopales beside frijoles bayos, not black beans, if you want the Bajío table to make sense. Pintos are not bayos. Negros belong to other regions. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Advance Preparation

• •The xoconostle, onion, and chile serrano can be diced up to 2 hours ahead and held covered in the refrigerator. Add lime, salt, cilantro, oregano, and chilcuague shortly before serving so the dressing stays bright.
• •The nopales are best roasted the same day, but they can sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours after roasting. Dress them just before serving.
• •Leftovers keep refrigerated for 2 days. The texture softens, so use them tucked into corn tortillas with frijoles bayos instead of trying to serve them as a fresh side again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 245g)