Re: Cassava - Yuca

[lesab33]

I love the stuff.  I was absouletly thrilled when I saw it in Food Basic's frozen section. (made by El Sembrador - product of Costa Rica)  
 
 Now I have noticed the non-frozen fresh root.  
 
 How do you cook it without it falling apart and crumbling?  Never tried the fresh one yet but figure I need some cooking tips first.

[Steve_YYZ]

Hola lesab33:
 
 When I cook up my Yuca con Mojo, I always use fresh Yuca that I get in my local grocery store.
 
 First you have to peel it. The bark is quite tough so you have to use a knife to slice it off, not a potato peeler which simply isn't strong enough.
 
 Once peeled, I cut it into about 3" long pieces. Each of these pieces is split lengthwise in half.
 
 Lay these halves in a saucepan (covered) of water with just a tad of salt in the water. Use enough water to cover the Yuca.
 
 Bring to boil, then cover and simmer for between 30 and 60 minutes. Similar to a potato, the longer you cook it, the softer it becomes. People prefer differeing softness levels so experiment to find your personal level.
 
 Once cooked, use a knife or fork and remove the hard piece of root that remains in the center of each half. Note that this "vein" of hard root might not be in each half depending on exactly the point you've sliced the yuca into.
 
 So now your Yuca is cooked, but you still need the Mojo garlic sauce.
 
 While the Yuca was cooking, in a separate small frying pan, dice one or two onions very fine. Add to this crushed garlic. Garlic level is also entirely dependent upon how much you like garlic. I use LOTS!!!
 Start to brown the onions and garlic, but not too much. I use olive oil by the way.
 Now add olive oil and lemon juice in the proportion of 2/3 cup olive oil, to 1/3 cup lemon juice. Naturally if you're making lots of Yuca, you might want to double up the amount of Mojo you make.
 When you make the Mojo sauce, some people put in a teaspoon of salt into the mixture. This is optional. Some like the added salt, others on a low sodium diet leave it out. It's good both ways. Personally I use some salt.
 
 Bring this mixture to a slow simmer.
 
 Now that the Yuca is cooked, and your Mojo is ready, do the following.
 
 You've fully drained the Yuca, removed the center roots. Put the Yuca back into the covered pan, pour the Mojo over the Yuca and lightly brown/sear the whole mixture. This only takes a minute or two. Your NOT frying the darn stuff, just searing it a tad.
 
 Put on plate, pour Mojo from pan over Yuca, and serve.
 
 Yummy ! ! !
 
 Steve

[lesab33]

Thanks Steve,  I must try the fresh yuca.  I never really knew what it looked like till I was in the market in Moron last week.  I do recall seeing this in my local grocery store.
 
 I can't wait to try.