The Yuca Diaries

I am embarrassed to say that I have only posted one recipe using yuca, and the fact that this blog is called the YUCA Diaries means I need to start adding more yuca recipes pronto!  So this is a simple yuca appetizer or side dish that is probably the counterpart to American French fries. I rarely fry food, but this is one of those occasions where I made an exception. These were served with a garlicky dipping sauce. Without further ado… here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 package frozen yuca

6 cups water

2 tsp salt

oil for frying (I use canola)

Add the water , 1 tsp. of salt and frozen yuca to a pressure cooker and cook on medium high for about half an hour or until the yuca is really tender. Dump the yuca into a colander to drain. Set aside to cool a bit.  You’ll want to cut the yuca into strips similar to the size of steak fries.   Add oil to a non-stick pan and turn the heat up to medium high.  Once the oil is hot, add the yuca in and let it cook undisturbed until it’s golden brown.  Transfer to a cooling rack and season with a little salt.

For the dipping sauce:

1 cup light mayo

1 bunch finely chopped Italian parsley or cilantro (whichever you’re in the mood for.  I used parsley this time)

2 large garlic cloves, grated

2 tbsp. water

3 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp. soy sauce

salt to taste

First add the mayo to a mixing bowl. Next grate the garlic and chop the parsley and add it to the bow.  Mix well.  Finally add in the water, lime juice soy sauce, and salt and combine well. Enjoy!

I have said many a time here before how popcorn is my favorite snack.  Popcorn and frozen yogurt actually, I can’t quite pick between the two, it really just depends on whether I want something sweet or savory.  Popcorn is one of those things, that no matter how full I am, if I smell it, I want it.  It makes watching movies so much more enjoyable, but after reading an article that named movie-theater popcorn as one of the worst foods of all time, I no longer treat myself to the buttery, crunchy delight.  This inspired me to make  delicious popcorn at home.  Microwave popcorn doesn’t even count as far as I’m concerned.  But not all popcorn was created equal either.   There is a right way to enjoy popcorn in my opinion:  using only three ingredients and cooked on the stove.  Something else I’d like to point out is that there are all kinds of gourmet popcorn kernels available- the perfect gift for the popcorn lover in your family.  They range from the whitest of white all the way to  midnight black. Some yield fluffy large kernels and others yield crunchier smaller kernels.  Tastes also range from mild and crisp to nutty and buttery.  Today I’ll show two varieties, and my favorite way make home-made popcorn.

The first variety I made was the standard golden Orville Redenbacher popping corn.  The actual corn kernel is large and plump, and has a beautiful golden color.  The popped kernel yields a mild flavor, pops really fluffy and large and has a slight yellowish hue to it.

The second batch I made is known as “black jewel” popcorn.  The description on the site says ” black jewel kernels are smaller with a tender hull that shatters when it pops. This means you get fewer hulls in your teeth and gums. Fewer hulls mean black jewel popcorn is also easier to digest than yellow kernel popcorn. Black Jewel is a very flavorful, crunchy textured popcorn that pops snow white with black centers.  I found this description to be very accurate.  I will add that this variety has a much more noticeable “corn” flavor.  After trying them back to back, you realize how mild the standard variety is.  I personally like the black jewel variety better.  Also worth noting, the black jewel produces less volume than the standard yellow.  I had to use twice the amount of kernels to yield the same amount of popped corn that the yellow variety produced.  This is because the black kernel is smaller in size and not as fluffy.

Here is a picture of  the black jewel  kernels when they’re un-popped and popped.

Now look at the difference side by-side:

Recipe for perfect home-made popcorn:

Ingredients:

3  tbsp.  popping corn kernels (double this amount if you’re making the black jewel variety)

2 tbsp. canola oil

2 tsp. popcorn salt

Add the kernels and oil into a pot with a lid and turn the heat up to medium high.  Leave the lid off until you start to hear a slight sizzle.  Place the lid over the pot and when you hear the first few kernels pop, turn the heat down to medium.  Turn off the heat once you hear the popping slow down a bit- about 1-2 minutes.  Let the pot rest for about one minute before removing the lid.  Transfer the popcorn into a large bowl and sprinkle the popcorn salt over the first few ladle fulls of popcorn.  Continue to add the popcorn to the bowl and season the top with a little more popcorn salt before serving.

Side note: it is very important that you use popcorn salt.  Popcorn salt is just salt that is very fine, but because it is so fine, it sticks to the popcorn.  Regular salt won’t stick to the kernel and you’ll have bland popcorn. Also. good to know, this popcorn keeps well in a zip lock bag for about a week.  I usually make a big batch and then put them in individual bags to take to work.  I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe as much as we do, all in all it is a healthy snack that is full of fiber, whole grains, and gluten free. Plus, your house will smell like the movies for a little while which makes it great for those cozy blockbuster nights with your honey.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups roughly chopped spinach

1 cup shredded carrots (I used a julienne tool, but a box grate would work too)

1 cup broccoli florets cut into small pieces

4 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

1 tbsp. dry white wine like sherry

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/3 cup half & half

The first thing to do is to wash your veggies and cut them up as directed in the ingredient list and set aside.  Begin to melt the butter in a non-stick pan and add the flour once it’s melted to make a roux.  Next add the chicken stock and half and half, and wine and blend well, making sure to dissolve the flour into the liquid.  Grate the garlic and add it into the sauce along with the nutmeg and salt, making sure to combine well.  Add in the cheeses and allow them to melt.  Using a spatula, stir this mixture to make sure the cheese is well incorporated before tossing in the veggies.  Coat all the veggies with the sauce and allow them to cook until they’re tender but still retain a bit of their bite.  Transfer to a serving dish and serve with crusty garlic bread or crudites.

These cookies only have a few ingredients and are super easy to make.  Although the combination seems strange for something sweet, it works really well.  They’re light and delicate and perfect for afternoon tea.  Sprinkle them with sugar before baking to get a nice sparkle.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups  flour

1 stick butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar (plus more to sprinkle on top)

2 tbsp. lemon zest

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. thyme (if using dried, use about half a tbsp.)

1 pinch salt

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Whip the butter until it’s nice and soft.  Add the sugar to the butter and whip it until it turns two shades paler.  Add in the flour and begin kneading.  Next add the lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme and salt and continue to knead.  If you want a shortcut, you could knead it in the food processor.  Just add the butter and sugar first then all of the ingredients.  Flatten out the dough into a disc.  Place a damp paper towel over the dough and begin gently rolling out the dough.  I used cookie cutters to form cute little shapes.  Transfer the cookies to a cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake until the start to turn ever so lightly golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and serve.

For the Tostones:

2 green plantains (buy them as green as you can find them)

canola or other neutral oil for frying

Salt to taste

First cut the plantain into about 1/2″ thick segments and remove the peel around the outside.  Add the oil to a frying pan and turn the heat up to medium high.  Once the oil is hot, add the pieces of plantain and fry until the first side is golden.  Flip each piece and allow for it to cook on the other side.  Next remove the pieces of plantain from the oil and set them on a plate or flat surface.  To form the disks you will need something flat to smoosh the pieces down until you have a flat, thin, disc.  Add the discs back into the oil and fry until both sides are golden brown and crunchy.  Remove from the oil, season with salt and serve.   You can serve this with mojo sauce if you’re serving as an appetizer.  Enjoy!

For the mojo sauce:

2 limes (juice only)

4 large garlic cloves

1/3 cup grapeseed or light unflavored oil

pinch of salt

Grate the garlic and add to a bowl.  Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl and add the oil.  Using a whisk, blend vigorously until it’s slightly emulsified.  Make sure to stir before spooning over your food.

Sometimes the most delicious meals consist of only a few ingredients and not very much time to prepare.  I remember sitting in my grandparent’s kitchen eating this with my best friend, grandma and grandpa.  “Pan con tomate” (bread with tomatoes) is still one of my favorite things to eat.  I jazzed this version up by adding sliced avocado, but it’s just as good with just tomatoes- in fact, that’s how I usually eat this, but had a few avocados that were going to spoil if not eaten.  The only kicker with this meal is that the tomatoes have to be good… no mealy, tasteless tomatoes allowed!

Ingredients:

4 slices bread (you can use any you like including gluten free)

3 large ripe tomatoes (green tomatoes are lovely in this too)

1 sliced avocado

1 small red onion

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of garlic powder

Sea salt to taste

First drizzle the bread with a little olive oil and toast until the bread is crunchy.  While the bread is toasting, start slicing the tomatoes.  Now would be a good time to sharpen your knife… I personally like paper-thin tomato slices and to achieve that goal, you need a really sharp knife.  Put the tomatoes in a bowl and season with sea salt and olive oil.  Slice the avocado and onions.   Then just assemble each toast.  I started with the tomatoes, then avocado, then onions, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and garlic powder.   My mouth is watering… especially since I am NOT feeling my peanut butter and jelly sandwich I brought for lunch today.  Oh well there’s always dinner right?