Have you ever tried Yuca? Also known as Cassava, yuca is the root of the cassava plant. It is longer than a sweet potato and it has a very thick dark skin, that you will find waxed in the produce aisles. To prepare it, you must remove the thick skin, including the thin purple layer just underneath it. The flesh below is pure white and firm like a raw potato. You can find frozen and peeled yuca in Latin groceries, in case you don’t want to deal with peeling them yourself. Yuca can be very dry if eaten alone, so often you will find it with an oily sauce such as this garlicky recipe. You can also make a mash out of yuca, or cut it into sticks and make fries. It is very delicious in all its forms.
I first learned how to eat and cook yuca from my Venezuelan friend Tili. Her parents were Cuban and Venezuelan and this was part of their everyday meals. Here’s how Tili makes it: first, the yuca is boiled until tender, then she mashes a ton of garlic and some salt in a mortar and pestle and heats up a good amount of extra virgin olive oil on the stove - just before it starts to smoke, she adds it to the garlic in the mortar along with a good splash of lime juice. The hot oil cooks the garlic instantly, then that wonderful oil is poured over the drained yuca. A garnish of cilantro on top and you have the best yuca you have ever had.
This recipe is basically like Tili’s, but I cook the garlic and olive oil slowly on the stove, then add the cooked yuca and let it soak up that delicious oil. Either way, it is outrageously good. This is a carb heavy dish, so make sure you serve all kinds of fresh vegetables along with your yuca.
YUCA AL MOJO DE AJO
Garlic Yuca
2 large yuca roots (cassava)
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Juice of 1 lime, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
½ tsp salt, or to taste
Black pepper to taste
To peel fresh yuca, cut it crosswise into 3” pieces, then use a paring knife to peel: place it between the skin and the flesh, then run it all around the yuca. Once peeled, cut lengthwise in half, then into quarters. Remove fibrous string from the centre and rinse. You can also use frozen yuca, if that’s what you have, proceed to the next step.
Place yuca in large pot and cover with water. Stir in 2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Turn temperature down and cook at a gentle boil until softened, about 15-17 minutes. Test by piercing with a fork, it should go in easily. Drain and reserve.
Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium heat, add oil and garlic and cook until fragrant and golden, but make sure it doesn’t burn, 3-5 minutes.
Add yuca, lime juice, herbs, salt and pepper to taste and stir well.
Serve immediately.
Serves 6.