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I was trying to figure out what to cook for the cactus battle and kept seeing recipes for "Nopales con Juevos." Eggs and cactus are a classic match! I thought it'd be cool to amp up the flavors and make something with a lot of kick and class...a southwestern frittata!
There are many beautiful things about FRITTATAS, they're tasty, easy, impressive and a great way to clean out your fridge! I'm serious, you can throw nearly anything you've got leftover or lying around into one of these and wind up with an awesome gourmet dish! And don't limit yourself to serving this for breakfast and brunch, frittatas are great anytime of day or night!
Olive Oil
2 Leeks, white parts only, sliced
1 Bulb of Elephant Garlic
2 Ears of organic corn
3 Chipotle Peppers, chopped fine
4 Paddles of seared cactus, sliced into 4" strips
1 Tomato, diced
1/2 Cup Goat Cheese
6 eggs
Turn your oven on to about 425 degrees.
Heat up a pan on a high flame and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil, chuck in the garlic, leeks and chipotles and season with some sea salt and cracked pepper. Three chipotles made this a pretty fiery dish.you may want to use less. On the show I used canned chipotles which I rinsed carefully. Normally I'd use dried ones that have been soaked in warm water for a few minutes to reconstitute the babes. LOOK OUT, CHIPOTLES ARE HOT!
Meanwhile I carefully took the kernels of corn off the cobs (hey, you can use frozen corn too.I won't tell anyone) giving me about 3/4 of a cup. Add the corn to the pan once you've gotten some brown and seared edges on the leeks, stir it up and let the corn sizzle and sear too for a a few more minutes.
I usually cook my frittatas in a cast iron skillet or big saute‚ pan. Any sort of flat, shallow, wide dish will work.but if it's too wide you'll be spreading your eggs thin so keep that in mind. I used the very saute‚ pan I was cooking the leeks and corn in, I just scooped everything out of it and into a bowl.
Crack your eggs into a big bowl and add a little water, about a tablespoon, and beat `em really well. Add the tomato and stir it up too.
Lay down your cactus! I did a lattice-pattern with my slices of cactus on the bottom of the pan. Then I added some of the egg and tomato mixture, and spread out the leek and corn saute‚ all over the place. Next I tossed in the goat cheese trying to distribute it evenly as well and topped this baby off with the rest of the beaten eggs.
Put this back on a medium flame and gently cook it using a spatula to lift at the sides.uncooked eggs will go down to the bottom and cook. Give this a good 7 or 8 minutes till the eggs are mostly set, save for the middle, and put the whole pan in the oven.
Like magic, or like a souffle‚, your frittata will poof up and brown and crisp a bit. About 8 minutes is all you need. Remove from the oven, check to make sure the middle has set and carefully lift the edges to make sure nothing's sticking to the pan. Place a big serving plate on top of the pan and with cat-like-reflexes flip the baby, give it a good jiggle and shake and reveal! Very dramatic to do this at the table for guests.but I usually take a sneak peak first to make sure I didn't blow it.
There you go! A spicy, southwestern inspired, cactus success!
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