[Sca-cooks] Fw: Prickly pear fruit- request from my mother.

[Olwen the Odd]

>Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...
>
> > yep.  but what do you want to know? how to peel of the skin or some 
>fancy
> > prep?  we always just bought them from the vendor on the street, never
> > prepared any special way
>
>What do you DO with them? Peel and eat? Add to sals? Drop off 10 story
>buildings into a pot of boiling water? I haven't a clue- and apparently,
>neither does my mother.
>
>Since she's one of my strongest influences on taking an interest in cooking
>historical foods, not to mention cooking in general, when she asks a
>question, I'm very interested in helping her find an answer ;-)
>
>Saint Phlip,

You probably already got an answer to this Phlip, but my first (and best) 
advice is to put on thick disposable gloves before she touches them.  The 
tiny hairs they have are tretcherous.  That being said, the fruit of the 
cactus is quite a nice treat.  After peeling, wash them for any residue 
hairs.  They can then be eaten just as they are, cut up into fruit salad, 
used in shakes or alchohalic drinks, semi frozen and put in punch, top ice 
cream, yogurt smoothies, added to cereal.  I have had them chopped and baked 
in muffins but was not a fan.  Man, I haven't had these in a long time but 
used to eat them lots!
Olwen

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