When I think of Yuca, it reminds me of my childhood. Watching my mom and Godmother make this dish. The simple, yet detailed technique that led to this dish being so yummy that even a picky eater would love.
One of the greatest side dishes in cuban cuisine and found in every holiday feast when I was growing up. This starchy exotic cousin of the potato is a creamy delight served next to any dish. With a little mojito drizzled on top, it makes the perfect compliment to any citrus marinated protein.
Yuca is a root vegetable much like a sweet potato. Looks similar to a malanga, but the difference is the peel of the yuca is smooth and shiny whereas the malanga is rough and flaky.
A loved side dish in the Cuban culture, yuca is cooked and prepared with lots of onions, garlic, lime juice, and bacon. That’s right, bacon!
You can buy the raw yuca, which would require being peeled, or frozen and already peeled.
Ingredients:
2 yuca roots (or equivalent amount)
1 white or yellow onion
1 Tbs of garlic
4 strips of your favorite raw bacon (optional)
2 Tbs of parsley
1 lime
Salt
Place the yuca pieces in a pot filled with enough water to completely submerge the yuca. Add a couple table spoons of salt and let the water come to a boil for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, drain the water and repeat this process two more times. You’ll know the yuca is done once you pierce it with a fork and it breaks apart easily. Once you reach this point, drain the water.
Cut the onion into thin slices. Chop the garlic as finely as you can. Dice the raw bacon. In a sauté pan, add 3 table spoons of olive oil and add 3/4 of the onions, let simmer on medium heat until the onions are almost translucent. If you notice that it dries out a bit, you can add a table spoon of water and cover with a lid to keep the moisture in. Once the onions are translucent add the garlic and bacon.
Once you see the bacon is cooked, pour the whole mixture over the yuca. Sprinkle on the rest of the raw onion along with the parsley and squeeze a generous amount of lime juice over top.
