Nopalito Pie (Cactus Pie) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 fresh cactus pieces, paddles with thorns and eyes removed and tough edges sliced off,diced
1 pastry for double-crust pie, 9 inch (either your favorite recipe OR frozen premade pie crusts)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine
1 slice Fruit of prickly pear cactus (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F.
Parboil cactus for 3 minutes in enough boiling, lightly salted water to cover in a covered saucepan.
Drain and rinse under running water.
Roll half of pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.
Place in a 9-inch pie plate; trim off excess pastry along edges and set to the side.
Combine cactus dice (nopalitos) and next three ingredients; mix well by hand.
Spoon filling evenly into pastry shell, and dot with butter.
Roll remaining pastry to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1/2-inch strips and arrange into lattice; fold edges under and flute into a pretty edge.
Bake for 50-60 minutes.
Garnish with slice of prickly pear fruit, if desired.