Laredo Comes to North GA

[Terry Green]

One of my Laredo Tusk Roundup hunters killed a really nice prickly pear, and he was kind enough to share some with me. 

[Terry Green]

It takes a very complex recipe of olive oil and salt. 

[rastaman]

Looks kind of dangerous!

[Kodiak Fan]

I knew you were part javi.  JV

[Terry Green]

 Kodiak Fan, it was nice to get some revenge on those spiked monsters. 


I did not cook them well done for sure.  These were 'medium rare'.  I will cook them again 3 at a time but put one on the grill 15 minutes before the next one and the last one 30 minutes after the 1st.  And, I will add only one thing, fresh ground pepper.

I was shocked that they tasted pretty good to tell you the truth.  I'll describe the taste as this.... FRESH green beans, asparagus, and a hint of dill pickle.  I will definitely be grilling these again and again.

[rainman]

They suck to skin.

[Terry Green]

They suck to skin.

That is why I ate them with the skin on. 

[McDave]

How do you get rid of the prickly part of the pear?

[Terry Green]

Two ways....

I just learned this as I did have a clue you could eat it, nor how easily.

You can back scrape them off, or like I did, baste them with plenty of olive oil and that and the heat will wilt them to nothing.  I opted for the later for a more aggressive revenge!

Next year in TX Patrick and I are already planning on grilling out some paddles with some hog or javie.

[Russell Southerland]

 
I didn't know you could eat them!

[Riverrat43]

I spent some time back in the 80's at Camp Bullis in TX for survival training with the AF. We learned to cook them over the camp fire along with Armadillo. Terry is correct, they do have a taste close to green beans. Not bad at all. Armadillo is another story.

[Terry Green]

Yes, I can't wait till I get some more to cook for different time segments to see how they taste at different 'doneness'. You can also eat it raw.

https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=2157

[smokin joe]

This is great. A side dish of cactus added to the Laredo experience is just the thing! Keep experimenting until you have a few good cactus recipes and then we can all sample them during the Tusk Roundup.

[Wudstix]

That would be a nice twist.
 

[Terry Green]

Yeah Wud, can't wait to try it fresh right off the cluster. 

[Riverrat43]

Yeah, we ate it boiled, raw and grilled on a stick over a mesquite fire. Boiled, it was slick like boiled okra, raw it was a bit slimy but had a crunch. Grilled was definitely best. No matter how it was cooked it had a taste like a cross between uncooked butter beans and uncooked green beans.

[Terry Green]

I HATE boiled okra..... Grilling only. 

[frank bullitt]

You can buy Cactus, pickled!
Pickled Okra is the best!

[M60gunner]

I have mixed feelings about eating such delicacies. But, the fruit can be made into great tasting jelly. After my experience eating monkey and Boa meat with a side of roots down in Panama many years ago I tend to shy away from “eating off the tree”.

[charles m]

After reading this, I did some poking around on the internet yesterday and although I have heard of people eating it, I didn't know that Prickly pear cactus has been a Mexican and Central American dietary staple for thousands of years.

Nopales(paddles) and prickly pear fruit are high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They are a nutritious addition to a balanced diet and may help decrease blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and lower cholesterol.

There are also a number of medicinal uses, thanks to this cactus's varied health benefits.

    It's an antiviral. ...
    It protects nerve cells. ...
    It's high in antioxidants. ...
    It can regulate blood sugar levels. ...
    It can treat enlarged prostate. ...
    It may reduce cholesterol. ...
    It can eliminate hangovers.

These are just some of the things I copied and pasted this morning.

I have seen this in grocery stores but never thought about eating it, but I am now. Cool thread!