Grilled Cactus Pad Salad with Oranges & Raspberry Vinaigrette

Drescription

This bright, satisfying salad recipe combines pre-Colonial ingredients like cactus pads and piñon (pine) nuts with navel oranges, a common food delivered to Indigenous communities via the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. This recipe is part of our spotlight,

Ingredients

• 2 cactus pads (nopales), washed
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 large navel oranges
• 3 tablespoons low-sugar raspberry jam
• 2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup toasted piñon (pine) nuts

Directions

1. Preheat grill on High or use a grill pan.
2. Holding the bottom of a cactus pad, gently scrape off thorns with a sharp knife. Place on a cutting board and trim the edge around the entire perimeter of each cactus pad and discard. Scrape off the remaining prickly bumps using a knife or spoon.
3. Grill bell pepper, turning occasionally, until blackened all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let steam for 5 minutes. Grill the cactus, flipping halfway, until nicely charred, about 6 minutes. Transfer to the cutting board and let cool for 5 minutes.
4. Thinly slice the cactus. (You may notice that the leaves release a slippery liquid, which is normal.) Remove and discard the skin and seeds from the bell pepper; thinly slice the pepper.
5. Trim ends off oranges so they sit flat on the cutting board. Cut away the skin, rotating the orange until all the skin and pith is removed. Cut in between each segment, letting them drop into a small bowl. (Squeeze out any remaining juice from the leftover pith and reserve for another use, if you'd like.)
6. Whisk jam, vinegar, water, mustard and salt in a medium bowl. Transfer 3 tablespoons to a small bowl. Add the cactus, bell pepper and orange segments to the medium bowl. Toss to combine. Drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and sprinkle with piñon nuts. Serve immediately.