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Nopales

Fresh cactus pads are available year-found in Mexican markets and some grocery stores. Choose small or medium-size firm pads. They should not be wrinkled, soggy or too soft. If you are growing prickly pear cactuses in your garden, the pads are at their best in the spring. You can eat the pads of any variety of prickly pear.Harvest the nopal cactus when the individual leaf is young and fresh. The leaves will generally be hand sized, they must have a glossy green sheen and be of minimum thickness, about 3/8 inch thick. When the leaf has grown too thick and has lost its sheen, it will be pithy inside. The leaves are best separated from the main plant with a knife by slicing through the leaf approximately 1 inch above the junction point from which it grows from the leaf below. The stub left on the older mature leaf below will grow a new leaf from its surface, generally the next year.The harvested leaf must now be rid of spines if any, glochids if any (the hair-like tiny spines that still get in the skin), or the green nubs that grow on the areoles of the spineless varieties. These green nubs will remove easily with a green scrubbing pad or cloth. The spines and glochids must be cut off with a knife by slicing through the skin under the areole from which the spines and glochids grow, this process is known as "skinning." OR Use tweezers to remove the spines. Use a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove the bases. Cut them into pieces about 1/4 inch wide by 2 inches long. Boil them in salted water for about 15 minutes. To eliminate the "baba" (Spanish word for the slimy fluid), boil the nopalitos with a raw onion or two cloves garlic, which absorb the baba. Cool. They are now ready to use in salads.If you have tomatillo husks, add them to the water to eliminate the okra-like sliminess that nopales can have.If using canned nopales, rinse the vinegary solution from them before using. It is however, not recommended that you ever use canned nopales.Once the leaf is safe to handle it is generally sliced french-fry style, or diced into 3/8 inch dimensions. The leaves are then most often boiled for approximately 10 minutes, and then mixed into some other food that has been already cooked, the ingredients are then cooked some more to blend flavors and eaten.

Coconut
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Nuts
NutsuTo Toast/uSpread them in a single layer in an ungreased pan. Bake at 350?F, stirring and checking until they are done. They are toasted when lightly browned. Bake almonds, pecans and walnuts for 7 to 12 minutes. Bake pine nuts for 5 to 7 minutes.uTo Grind/u (Upload by user)

Oil
OilCombine canola oil and olive oil to enhance the flavor of the canola oil. This also raises the smoking point of the olive oil. (Upload by user)

Onion
OnionuTo Roast/uWarm a small, heavy skillet over high heat. Cut onion in half, leaving the outer skin on. Roast until the exterior turns brown and the interior is semi soft. Let cool, then remove skin. (Upload by user)

Artichokes
ArtichokesuTo Clean and Prepare for Cooking/uCut off about 1 inch from the top of the artichoke with a sharp knife. Use a kitchen shears to cut straight across the top of each of the leaves to remove the sharp tips. Remove small, hanging bottom leaves so that it is even all ar (Upload by user)

Orange extract
Orange ExtractThinly peel 1/2 navel orange with a vegetable peeler. Be sure you do not include any of the white part. Dice the peel and combine with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup vodka. Put Orange Extract into a clean glass jar and set aside to steep for at least 3 days. Store it anywhere, a (Upload by user)

Oregano
OreganoUse only Mexican oregano for Mexican cooking. It comes from a different family and offers a sweeter, milder flavor. If you need to substitute, use crumbled Mediterranean oregano leaves, but use about one third less, as they have a much harsher flavor. (Upload by user)

Papaya
PapayaTo peel a papaya, hold the papaya on its side on a cutting surface. Slice the fruit in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds to use as a garnish. Place a papaya half, cut side down, on a work surface, then remove peel with a knife. Remove 1 inch to 3 inches of its narrow end, which (Upload by user)

Pine nuts (pinons)
Pine Nuts (Pinons)Store them tightly covered and either refrigerate or freeze them, depending on how soon they are to be used. (Upload by user)

Pineapple
PineappleuHow to Select/uLeaves should be bright green and sprightly, not pallid, brown or limp, and the fruit should feel heavy for its size, yield slightly to pressure but be devoid of soft or brown spots. Look for a faintly fruity aroma that exudes from the stem, but beware (Upload by user)
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Plantains
PlantainsYellow brown, brown and black plantains can be peeled as you would a banana, but it is almost impossible to peel green and yellow plantains. Cut their skin off with a sharp knife.Slice plantains, with the skin attached, on a diagonal into 3/4 inch rounds (or another lengt (Upload by user)
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Pots
Pots uCazuelas/uCazuelas are glazed or unglazed Mexican pots which are used for long, slow cooking. There may be concern about the lead content of the glazes. It is preferable to buy glazed cazuelas from reputable dealers. The unglazed pots are NOT safe. (Upload by user)

Prickly pear
Prickly PearWhile wearing gloves, carefully remove spikes by cutting off the ends and peeling the fruit. To use for sorbets and other uses, the pulp should be pur?ed and strained. They can be found at the market from September through December. (Upload by user)
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Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin SeedsuTo Oven Toast/uSpread them in a single layer in an ungreased pan. Bake at 350?F for 13 to 15 minutes, stirring and checking frequently.uTo Skillet Toast/uHeat a skillet over medium heat and toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring often. They will pop (Upload by user)
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Queso fresco
Queso FrescoFeta cheese can be reasonably substituted for this cheese. (Upload by user)
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Banana leaves
Banana LeavesuPreparing for Wrapping/uTo prepare banana leaves for wrapping, cut them into pieces large enough to wrap the piece of meat or poultry you will be cooking. Simmer them in hot water to cover for 15 minutes to make them pliable. They are frustrating to work with sin (Upload by user)
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