Yuca con Mojo always had a place at our special family dinners, much like mashed potatoes make an appearance as a go-to side dish on many tables across America.
As a kid, I never had any particular desire to make a space for them on my plate. They looked pale and mushy. Oily. They smelled too strong. And the grown ups liked them {which obviously meant they must taste like wallpaper paste.}
As an adult {if you can consider a girl who wears lambie slippers an "adult"}, some of the very things I hated about yuca are the things that I love about it now.
Yuca {also known as cassava} is a tricky thing to cook well due to its fibrous nature. It needs to be softened thoroughly in order to make it palatable, and stripped of the woody stem at it's core. It's not the prettiest thing you've ever seen in it's natural state, but I promise you... if you can get past it's ugliness and high maintenance qualities, you will be rewarded.
The good news is that many grocery stores {especially here in South Florida} now carry frozen yuca in the ethnic aisle of the freezer section. It comes peeled and chopped into manageable chunks, and even Abuela uses it most of the time for it's convenience.
If it's good enough for Abuela, it's good enough for me.
A note of caution: The garlic factor in this dish is not for the faint of heart. We're talking seriously garlicky. I love it, but immediately regret it after I eat it because I can taste it for about a full 24 hours after the fact, even post-brushing and Listerine-ing. If you have to be in close proximity to anyone you'd rather not attack odorously, are meeting people for the first time, or would be embarrassed to breathe your crazy garlic breath on someone... save it for another day.
Otherwise, make it now. You'll be stinky, but happy... and we all know that's exactly what you want to be.
Yuca con Mojo {Cassava with Garlic Sauce}
1 {24 oz.} bag of frozen yuca*
Water {enough to cover yuca}
Salt
Lime juice, optional
Mojo {Garlic Sauce}
¼ cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
6-8 garlic cloves, minced or grated with microplane
½ a small onion, sliced thin
Place frozen or fresh yuca in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce heat slightly and boil for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until very tender.
Remove from heat. At 1 teaspoon of salt and allow to sit in salted water until slightly cooled. Remove woody stems {they should separate relatively easily} from the yuca and discard. Place yuca in serving dish.
In a small skillet , heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced onion. Saute until softened, but not caramelized, about 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat.
Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a small saucepan until warmed. {Or in a microwave safe cup for 1 minute}. Add garlic and ½ teaspoon salt, whisk together. Set aside.
Pour olive oil and garlic mixture over yuca. Top with softened onion slices. Squeeze fresh lime juice over yuca. Serve hot.
*You may also use fresh yuca, peeled, halved, and chopped into large chunks.
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