Texas State Plant for Breakfast

January 23rd, which is today, is the 21st anniversary of the naming of the prickly pear cactus as the Texas State Plant. The reason the prickly pear was chosen over, say, the ocotillo and milkweed, is outlined in 1995's House Concurrent Resolution No. 44:

"Rugged, versatile, and beautiful, the prickly pear cactus has made numerous contributions to the landscape, cuisine, and character of the Lone Star State, and its unusual status as both a vegetable and a fruit make it singularly qualified to represent the indomitable and unique Texas spirit as an official state symbol."

Out of sheer coincidence, this morning's breakfast was none other than Nopales con Huevo. Yes, indeed, we had prickly pear and eggs for breakfast. The recipe I used to cook the Texas state plant comes from Diana Kennedy's The Essential Cuisines of Mexico. If I may digress, Kennedy's work is so highly regarded in Mexico that she was named a member of the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor the Mexican government awards a foreigner. Anyway, I recommend topping this fine dish with cotija cheese and perhaps a splash or two of Valentina hot sauce. Here is a link to the Nopales con Huevo recipe:

https://books.google.com/books?id=gzsGAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=nopales+con+huevo+kennedy&source=bl&ots=ZrZHIR-WMd&sig=KGuctgcFQjNTxiYotlqpHWsHaQU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi20dexr8DKAhVD92MKHQnpCCAQ6AEIOTAH#v=onepage&q=nopales%20con%20huevo%20kennedy&f=false