This scrambled egg dish is a great intro and an easy way to get used to cooking with this fun vegetable.
Ingredients
1large cactus leaf, trimmed and chopped
1tablespoonbutter
1jalapeno, seeded and sliced thin
3-4eggs, scrambled
1oz.queso fresco or queso panela
Fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
Instructions
To clean cactus, use a sturdy kitchen hold it down by the end so the needles don’t get ya. Then use a knife to scrape off the needles. The cactus should be completely smooth. Trim off the edges around the cactus. Repeat on both sides.
Chop cactus into about 1-inch segments.
In a small-medium skillet, add butter over medium heat. Add cactus and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the cactus loses it’s liquid and turns an olive color. The liquid should cook off after 4-5 minutes.
When pan is mostly dry, add jalapeno peppers and toss together quickly. Cook for about a minute.
Remove the cactus and peppers from the skillet and wipe clean. Add 2 teaspoons of butter and melt over medium heat. Add scrambled eggs and cook until just set, maybe 90 seconds. Then fold in panela cheese.
When cheese is melted, remove from heat and fold in cooked cactus. SEason eggs with salt and pepper.
Serve eggs immediately with fresh cilantro and hot sauce.