Juan's Sopa de Ajo y Nopalitos
Juan Jose Lozano of Leon, Mexico, shared this soup recipe at a cooking class I attended. Cooking makes the garlic mild, mellow, and soft. The cactus adds a slight tartness, and the swirls of egg add richness, while the broth and beer balance the whole for an intriguing and satisfying soup.
Juan added an unusual, hard-to-find sour cactus called xoconoxtle. I use bottled cactus packed in water for this soup. It's readily available in many supermarkets or Mexican food markets in the United States.