Huesos de Espinaso con Nopales


              1 lb pork neck bones 
              8 large tomatillos 
              6 coarsely chopped roma tomatoes 
              1 small onion, sliced 
              4 cloves of minced garlic 
              1/2 lb of sliced prickly pear cactus leaves 
                 (sliced into long, thin strips)---Nopales are available
                 fresh at most grocery stores in the Southwest but if 
                 you can't find them fresh, you can use two to three 
                 4-ounce cans of nopales, look in the Mexican foods aisle. 
              2-3 yellow hot or regular jalepenos (You can add more or less                               depending on how hot you like your stew to be.) 
              4 carrots, coarsely chopped 
              3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped 
              1/8 cup fresh, chopped cilantro 
              1/2 tsp ground cumin 
              1/2 tsp ground black pepper 
              1/2 tsp ground white pepper 
              2 tsp salt 
              6-8 cups water 
              Several limes cut into small wedges 
              Fresh oregano 


Set water to boil, adding the salt. Once boiling, add the pork neck bones. 
As the pork begins to cook, it will foam. Spoon off the foam and continue 
to cook until there is no more foam being produced and the meat begins to 
loosen from the bone (aprox. 25-30 minutes). Turn the heat down to low. 

In a small stock pot, blanch the tomatillos and yellow hots. This should 
take no more than 4 minutes if your water is at a rolling boil. 
Remove the excess water and place the tomatillos and jalepenos into a blender. 
Puree and then add this to the pork. 
                      
Add the carrots, celery, nopales, tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro, salt, 
pepper, and cumin to the pot and let simmer for 40 minutes or until 
the carrots have cooked. While stew is cooking, you can add more water is 
you feel too much as boiled off. 
                      
Serve in large soup bowls with lime wedges and fresh oregano on the side. 
Also have on hand plenty of fresh, warm tortillas. Salt and pepper to taste.