Cactus and Corn Salsa

Name: Cactus and Corn Salsa
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 nopales cactus paddles, spikes removed; 2 green tomatoes, cored and cut in half; 1 larges white onion, peeled and cut into 4 chunks; 1 teaspoon olive oil plus more to grease baking sheet; 237 milliliters frozen corn; 237 milliliters cilantro, stems removed; 1 garlic clove, peeled; 2 hot chili peppers, stems removed, more or less to taste; 1 Juice from 1/2 a lime, about; 2 Tbsps tequila, optional; 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano; 1 serving Salt to taste; 1 serving Tortilla chips, to serve; 2 jalapeños, red or green, more or less to taste

Cactus and Corn Salsa requires approximately 30 minutes from start to finish. This recipe serves 3. Watching your figure? This gluten free and dairy free recipe has 171 calories, 4g of protein, and 4g of fat per serving. This recipe covers 10% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. It works well as a rather inexpensive hor d'oeuvre. Head to the store and pick up nopales cactus paddles, tequila, cilantro, and a few other things to make it today. This recipe is typical of Mexican cuisine.

Instructions

Prep cactus paddles:

Ingredients you will need

Nopales

Heat oven to 425°F. Working with a large sharp knife with a fairly straight edge, scrape off any remaining prickles or nubs on the cactus paddles.

Ingredients you will need

Nopales

Equipment you will use

Knife

Oven

Cut the paddles crosswise into 1-inch thick strips. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil.

Ingredients you will need

Olive Oil

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Roast cactus paddles with onion and jalapeños in oven:

Ingredients you will need

Nopales

Onion

Equipment you will use

Oven

Place cactus, green tomatoes, white onion and jalapeños on the baking sheet in preheated oven for 12 minutes. The cactus should still be slightly crisp when pierced with a fork.

Ingredients you will need

Green Tomato

White Onion

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Oven

Roast corn kernels:

Ingredients you will need

Corn Kernels

Heat a cast iron or stick-free skillet with 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium heat on the stove top. When the pan is heated, add frozen corn and spread out in an even layer. Do not stir the corn. Allow it to roast in the hot pan for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Corn

Olive Oil

Spread

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Stove

Frying Pan

The corn should become browned and roasted. You can check by gently flipping a few pieces with the corner of a spatula.

Ingredients you will need

Corn

Equipment you will use

Spatula

When corn is browned, stir and roast for another 2 to 3 minutes.

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Corn

Remove from heat.

Place corn in a small bowl and set aside.

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Corn

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Bowl

Pulse in food processor:

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Food Processor

Place the oven roasted vegetables in a food processor with the cilantro, garlic, lime juice, tequila, oregano and salt. Purée until nearly smooth, about 30 seconds.

Ingredients you will need

Lime Juice

Vegetable

Cilantro

Oregano

Tequila

Garlic

Salt

Equipment you will use

Food Processor

Oven

(Be careful when you remove the lid on the food processor—the heat released from the peppers will zoom up your nose and down your throat, so don’t stand directly over the open food processor.)

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Peppers

Equipment you will use

Food Processor

Stir in roasted corn:

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Corn

Pour the salsa into a serving dish. Stir the roasted corn into the finished salsa. Allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Ingredients you will need

Salsa

Corn

Serve with tortilla chips.

Ingredients you will need

Tortilla Chips

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

nopales cactus paddles, spikes removed 2

green tomatoes, cored and cut in half 1larges

white onion, peeled and cut into 4 chunks 1teaspoon

olive oil plus more to grease baking sheet 237milliliters

frozen corn 237milliliters

cilantro, stems removed 1

garlic clove, peeled 2

hot chili peppers, stems removed, more or less to taste 1

Juice from 1/2 a lime, about 2Tbsps

tequila, optional 1teaspoon

dried Mexican oregano 1serving

Salt to taste 1serving

Tortilla chips, to serve 2

jalapeños, red or green, more or less to taste

Recommended wine: Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sparkling Rose

Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sparkling rosé are my top picks for Salsa. Acidic white wines like riesling or low-tannin reds like pinot noir can work well with Mexican dishes. Sparkling rosé is a safe pairing too. You could try Tudor Wines Balo Vineyard Pinot Noir. Reviewers quite like it with a 5 out of 5 star rating and a price of about 68 dollars per bottle.