Wrapped Up In A Prickly Pear Vortex
After summer vacations and back to school are behind us, I look ahead to everything fall. Some of my favorite things about the colorful fall season are warm pumpkin spice, the smell of the cooler temps, college football, scarves and boots coming out of the back of the closet and fires in the fireplace while drinking a velvety cabernet sauvignon. The seasonal food items are also something I look forward to like game day food, chili, stews, soups, squash and of course campfire smores. Autumn just has a different feel about it. Windows don’t fog up from the humidity and you can be outside for more than 2 minutes without sweating.
This recipe was created to combine my favorite season with a nod to Arizona where this summer we took a wonderful family vacation and tried some incredibly delicious foods. The salad has a desert southwestern twist with some traditional fall ingredients and not so traditional ingredients. Have you ever had a prickly pear? It is the fruit that grows on nopal cactus and has a beautiful bright pink color that brightens any dish. In Arizona, everywhere you turn around restaurants serve prickly pear margaritas, cheesecakes, candies, etc. It tastes tart but uniquely sweet like strawberries or watermelon with notes of dry red wine and has all sorts of health benefits too… sold! Thanks to Amazon, we can buy prickly pear syrup any day of the year and it is delivered to your doorstep next day so there are no excuses for us Floridians who want to try something different and don’t have prickly pear in our grocery stores. I fell in love with this cactus not only for the delicious nectar that it produces but for the cute pink fruit that grow on these adorably odd, shaped plants. I hope you love cactus and this recipe as much as I do! CLICK HERE for the recipe!
Blog Article and recipe provided by Chef Christy Robinson-Costello
