The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the words “root vegetable” is yuca. Yuca or Cassava, is a starchy tubular root. The taste is a combination of creamy, nutty and sweet. Here in Puerto Rico, yuca is very common. You can even find plant growing wild in grassy areas. This is always a great find since you can enjoy fresh yuca, and it does not have that wax covering that it comes with in the supermarket.
There are many ways to cook yuca. You can simply boil it, fry it or mash or puree it. My favorite of all things to do with yuca is mash it in a dish called Mofongo. Mofongo is a traditional dish here in Puerto Rico and is traditionally made with green plantains. However, there are many variations to this dish, my favorite being the one made with yuca. It is a very simple dish to make and my version is a little different because I have adapted it to suit my families taste. Mofongo is usually made by frying the plantains and mashing them with oil, garlic, and pork cracklins or chicharrón. My daughter does not eat meat, so I do not add the pork. To compensate for the loss of this crunch factor, I first boil the yuca then pan sear it. This mofongo can be served with a variety of accompaniments, traditionally served with some type of sauce and protein. I am preparing my dish today with chicken in a garlic sauce.
Here is what you need;
For the Mofongo
1-2 lbs Yuca cleaned and cut into pieces
Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Butter
2 Cloves of garlic minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
For the Chicken
2 chicken breasts cut into strips
1 Onion
1 Clove of Garlic minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
To clean the yuca, place the flat side on your cutting board and run your knife down to remove the peel. Yuca is very tough so be careful, you can use a vegetable peeler, but it can get quite slippery, so be careful.
Method
Boil the yuca until tender
Remove the yuca from the water and let dry.
Remove the fibrous center from the yuca.
Pan sear in a little oil until it has a golden color.
Using a pilon or mortar and pestle, mash the yuca pieces with butter, and garlic.
Add olive oil, salt and pepper until you reach the desired consistency.
For the Chicken
Saute the onion in a little oil until tender
Add the minced garlic
Add the chicken strips
Salt and pepper to taste
Boil in water until tender, about 15 minutes
After the yuca has cooled, remove the fibrous core
Saute the yuca in oil to toast it
Mash your ingredients. If you do not have a large pilon, you may have to do this in stages
Cook the chicken with onions and garlic. You can add extra butter or olive oil if you want it saucy.
To serve, form the mofongo into a dome and put the chicken on the side. Or for a more traditional plating, serve in a small pilon with the chicken.
This is the traditional way to serve the mofongo
I really you hope you enjoy this recipe and taste of Puerto Rico!
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