Cuba - Boiled Yuca with Mojo

[Olga Drozd]

Cuba - Boiled Yuca with Mojo

Yuca (YOO-ka) is a starchy white tuber with an ineffably delicious taste.  It is always served alongside roast suckling pig, and under a mantle of "Mojo" a downpour of blended citrus juice, oil, and garlic.  The yuca can be held in its cooking water for an hour or two before serving, though it loses a noticeable amount of freshness and life.  The Mojo can be made ahead of time.

6 pounds medium-sized yuca, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1 1/2 inch long pieces  (see Note)
2 cups cold water
Kosher salt
Approximately 21/2 cups Mojo

Place the yuca in a large pot and cover with cold water by at least 1 inch, leaving at least another inch to the top of the pot.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Pour in the cold water.  Return to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the yuca is tender when pierced with a knife, 15 to 25 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in enough salt so that the liquid tastes nearly as salty as seawater.  Allow the yuca to rest for 5 minutes.

Drain the yuca well and place it in a warmed serving dish.  Pour the Mojo over the yuca so that all the pieces are smothered in the sauce.  Serve immediately.  Serves 12.

NOTE:  Yuca is a little difficult to peel the brown skin is almost like bark.  If you can find frozen yuca--peeled, raw, ready for cooking--you will save a good deal of trouble.  And yuca does freeze well.  Fresh yuca is available in Hispanic markets.  If you can't find frozen yuca, then scrub the yuca before cutting it into 2-inch sections. Score each section lengthwise with a paring knife, cutting through the tough bark like skin and the underlying membrane.  Carefully pry the two layers away from the root, starting at the slit. Rinse well, and place in cold water.

MOJO:

This recipe makes a lot of sauce so that you may drown the yuca in it, and use the leftover Mojo as a moistening at the table for your roast pig.

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large heads of garlic, cloves thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
5 bay leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups fresh orange juice (about 12 to 15 oranges)
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice (about 12 to 15 limes)

Combine the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan and cook gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic turns pale golden at its edges.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining ingredients.  Let the mixture cool before serving.  Makes 5 cups.