New Foods.

Tasting different food is very good for you. I am amazed at the new things I've tried.

While vacationing in Southeastern US I saw outlets named “Boudin an' Cracklins”. I wondered what what kind of businesses they were. While touring the Tabasco Factory in Louisiana on Avery Island I got my first taste of “Boudin”, a rice and pork mixture with Tabasco sauce wrapped in an intestine casing. All along the South Louisiana there were restaurants and stores named “Boudin an' Cracklins” The “Cracklins” are fried pork skins. Another favourites is beans and rice. They are obviously one of the main courses here.

An other surprise was while shopping in a Texas grocery store I noticed there were cactus pieces along with the fresh vegetables. Now, this I never saw before. I bought a piece and added it along with collards stir fry dish I made for supper.  I since learned how good and how popular cactus is.  It has been eaten for centuries in many countries and are found in Mexican specialty markets. Cactus contain beta carotene, iron, a good source of Vitamin C, calcium and some B vitamins.

Here is a recipe:

Cactus Over Fish

1/2 cup of cooking oil

1 clove of garlic (chopped)

1 teaspoon of chili powder

1 cup of flour
1 pound of filleted fish

1 cup of diced and boiled cactus

1/2 cup of water (from the boiled cactus)
1 hard-boiled egg, sliced

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

salt to taste

Heat the oil in a frying pan, sauté the garlic until light brown, and then remove the garlic pieces with a slotted spatula or spoon. Combine the chili powder and flour in a bowl and roll the fish in the mixture. Fry the coated fillets until they're golden brown . . . add the water (be careful to prevent spattering—pour in just a bit at a time). . . reduce the heat . . . and cook the fish for a few minutes longer. When the fish flakes easily, remove it from the pan and serve it smothered in cactus and topped with sliced egg, lemon juice, and salt.

Collards I learned to eat at Full Circle Family Farm in North Carolina.

Until next time Discover it Live it