Prickly Pear Syrup
Guelaguetza’s horchata is inspired by the one created and still served at the Mercado 20 de Noviembre in Oaxaca City by Doña Casilda, who runs a popular booth in the mercado that specializes in aguas frescas. She is also known as the woman who invented this Oaxacan variation of Mexico’s most famous agua fresca, with a splash of red cactus fruit syrup, toasted walnuts and sliced ripe cantaloupe. This recipe appears in the upcoming cookbook “Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico” by Bricia Lopez with Javier Cabral. Adapted from Guelaguetza’s co-owner Bricia Lopez.
Place the prickly pears in a medium saucepan and cover halfway with water. Place the pan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Cook the pears, swirling and rolling them in the water occasionally, until very soft and falling apart, about 10 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash the pears in the pan, then scrape the pulp and liquid through a fine strainer into a bowl; discard the skin, pulp and seeds. Rinse out the pan.
Pour the juice back into the saucepan (you should have about 1 ½ cups), then add the sugar. Place the pan over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then boil for 5 minutes, using a spoon to skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Pour the syrup into a bowl, let cool, then transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 2 weeks.
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