Webisode: Cooking with Bea

I’m in love with this recipe for Salsa de Nopales y Granada (Cactus and Pomegranate Salsa) from my friend, the shoe designer and wonderful cook, Beatrice Valenzuela. Bea came up with this simple recipe while living next to a giant pomegranate tree and having more fruit than she knew what to do with. I had never cooked with nopales until she introduced me to this salsa and it was exciting to learn how to work with such a unique ingredient. Served with carne asada tacos, big chunks of queso fresco and lime, this is truly a thing of magic.

Full recipe after the jump.




Salsa de Nopales y Granada

Serves 6
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3 poblano peppers
4-6 nopal (beaver cactus) leaves
1/2 red onion
1 pomegranate
olive oil
the juice of one lemon
1 tbs ponzu sauce
maldons sea salt
freshly ground pepper
cilantro for garnish
herbes de provence

Grill poblano peppers about three minutes per side then set aside in a container covered for up to 10 minute (this will help the clear skin separate from the pepper). Try to remove as much of the clear skin from peppers as possible. Cut chilies into long strips removing and discarding seeds and stems.

If you didn’t buy them pre-cleaned, clean and cut nopal leaves into long strips and finely slice half of an onion.

Saute the nopales in olive oil, letting their syrup cook cook off, until nicely browned, around ten minutes. Throw in the onion and the peppers and cook for another five or ten minutes until everything is golden. Transfer to your serving dish.

Clean and separate pomegranate seeds. Dress the cooked vegetables with olive oil, lemon juice, ponzu sauce, salt and pepper. Add the pomegranate seeds and garnish with cilantro and Herbes de Provence.

*download a printable version HERE