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LENT WAS a period of strict fasting, self-denial, abstinence and
penitence. In the 1960s the Roman Catholic Church changed its fasting
policy from eating only one meal a day during Lent to fasting only two
days during the entire Lenten season -- on Ash Wednesday and Good
Friday. Meat was originally prohibited throughout Lent, but today the
prohibition only applies to the Fridays of the Lenten season.
These must have constituted severe penitence in the Old World, but in Mexico, there existed a culinary culture unimagined in Europe. It's hard to conceive of a world without corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, chilies, peppers, potatoes, peanuts, pineapples, avocados, papaya, not to mention chocolate, vanilla, tobacco, and chewing gum.
The Spanish weren't entirely successful in their spiritual conquest of the continent; they found it necessary to adapt their teachings and co-opt existing customs and practices. The fusion of Lent and traditional Mexican culinary practices has a unique and delicious tradition that is more feast than famine.
Many dishes that are unique to the Mexican culture were created specifically to take the place of meat and to provide a substantial meal when that was the only one of the day.
Fish and seafood are obviously plentiful and can be prepared in countless ways. Traditional Lenten dishes include shrimp and seafood soups and stews, such as Caldo Michi, prepared with fish heads and red snapper or sea bass and lots of vegetables; croquettes with dried shrimp; Red Snapper Veracruz style and Bacalao a la Vizcaina, a dish made from salted cod which is also a Christmas staple. All vegetables can be eaten during Lent, among the most popular vegetable are squash. often sun-dried and cooked with onion, garlic and tomatoes and topped with melted.
Lentils and pinto beans are served with rice and called Moors with Christians. Empanadas are light flaky turnovers filled with fruit preserves or savory stuffing. But the food most closely associated with the Lenten season is nopalitos, the tender, young pads of the edible prickly pear cactus.
This is a remarkably versatile vegetable and it's highly nutritious. They are high in vitamins A and C, as well as B complex vitamins and iron. They are often used in blended health drinks and many people claim it effective in weight-loss diets.
You can buy nopales as entire pads or diced and packaged in neatly tied plastic bags for a quick, rinse and serve dish. Some people like to eat them raw in salads, but they are delicious cooked. Boiled, their taste is often compared to that of green beans. Grilled, nopales have a delicious, distinctive flavor of their own, especially good with grilled meat.
To boil nopales, wash them and cut them into small squares or strips, if they have not been purchased this way. Place them in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
To grill nopales, brush them with olive or vegetable oil and grill until soft and slightly charred. Grilled nopales are a requisite element of a parrillada, or Mexican mixed grill.
Nopalitos can be prepared with scrambled egg, fried with onion, tomatoes and cilantro (coriander), served on a tortilla, folded and eaten like a taco.
Nopales can also be cut into strips, batter-dipped and rolled in breadcrumbs, cornmeal or flour, and fried like french fries. And cooked nopales are a great addition to soups, stews and salads. Here's a simple recipe :
Mix the nopalitos with the next four ingredients and set aside to season for 30 minutes. Stir well and adjust seasoning.
Spread the nopalitos over the platter about 1 1/2 inches deep. Decorate with the tomatoes slices and top with cilantro, cheese, onion rings, chile strips, and slices of avocado (if used).
Overlap the romaine leaves around the edges of the platter and serve at
room temperature.