Welcome to the Tu Vez Latino Culinary Academy! We are determined to teach Latino men how to feed themselves without having to go to a drive-through. Will it be an old family recipe? A delicious cocktail? A trade secret? Stay tuned to find out!
Root vegetables have always been the food of the poor. We’re not sure why exactly. Maybe it’s that the upper classes think there are too good for anything that grows underground? Sooner or later, a servant or slave makes his master something awesome with a root vegetable, and the upper class twit kicks himself for his stupidity. Such is the case with the humble yucca. A fibrous root vegetable, it is a distant relative of the Peruvian potato. When cooked properly it has a tangy, starchy flavor that makes your face want to eat itself with joy. Here is the classic way to prepare yucca. You can also fry it into delicious fries.
Yucca Con Mojo De Ajo
2 Pounds of yucca root
1 Lime, juiced
6 Cloves garlic mashed with 1 teaspoon of salt
1 stick of gum, as your breath will not be pretty.
1/3 Cup of Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup of olive oil. If you call it EVOO, we’ll knock your teeth in.
1 Chopped onion
First you need to peel the ugly misshapen yucca roots. You might want to soak them for a few minutes before you start. The yucca is a tough vegetable, but you aren’t going to let it beat you. You can buy them frozen in the freezer section of most Latino markets…if you’re too chicken. After you peel them, cut them into long slices. Put them in a pot with just enough water to cover them, along with some salt and the lime juice. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until it is tender. This is a good time to drink a shot of rum and think about the girl that got away. Sure, you have regrets, but it’s nothing yucca con mojo can’t cure. Once you’re done reminiscing, cook the onion, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil in a pan until the onions are soft. Drain the yucca and add it to the pan for a minute, just so that the flavors mix. Then serve it up and pour yourself some more rum. When you are done, do everyone a favor and use the stick of chewing gum.
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