One Kitchen, Many Cultures

manioc

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Vegetarian

Cassava (manioc or yuca ) Oil-Down.

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Here’s another ingredient (Cassava) I disliked with a passion as a kid on the islands, but can’t get enough of it as an adult. To be honest, the only thing made with Cassava I enjoyed as a kid was probably Cassava Pone. And if I were completely honest, I’d say it was because of the plump raisins in it and the fact that it was a sweet treat.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs cassava
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 medium onion (diced)
4-5 cloves garlic (smashed)
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 sprigs thyme
2 + 1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3/4 teaspoon black peppers (divided)
1/2 medium carrot (sliced thin – wheels)
2 scallions (chopped)
3 pimento peppers (diced finely)

Note! I used frozen Cassava in making this dish, as it’s what I can easily find available here in Canada, plus I love the way it cooks quickly and it’s guaranteed to be soft. I usually get it in the frozen food section at local grocery stores, including West Indian, Latin and Asian markets.

Cook the cassava according to the package instructions. In my case I placed the frozen cassava in a pot covered with water and the salt, brought that up to a boil and allowed it to cook on a rolling boil for about 7 minutes. It’s NOT fully soft (cooked). Drain. and set aside to cool.

In a saucepan heat the butter (2 tablespoon) on a medium/low flame, followed by the onion, garlic, thyme, parsley, scallions and pimento peppers. Stir well and cook on low now.

As this gently simmers, it’s time to handle and prep the cassava. You may want to watch the video below. Remove the woody sort of string that runs down the center of the cassava (discard). Then cut the cassava into bitesize pieces.

Back to the sauce pan.. hit it with the black pepper and stir again. TIP You may use coconut oil at the start instead of the butter we opted for.

Now add the carrot (just cleaning out the fridge) and coconut milk. Bring to a boil (raise the heat), and allow it to simmer for 3-4 minutes (reduce the heat after it comes to a boil).

It’s now time to add the cassava back to the pot and finish cooking it all the way through. The cassava will now start absorbing all that goodness in the pot and the coconut milk will start to reduce down. Lid On.

Five minutes later and you’re done! Taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Finish with more black pepper and the remaining butter.

Such a tasty dish for something so simple… I can guarantee you that you and your family will want this on the dinner table quite often.

BTW, should you want to add some boiled sweet potato or green cooking banana to the mix, feel free to do so (adjust the salt and add a bit more butter). Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Seafood

Cassava With Stewed Smoked Herring.

1 Comment on Cassava With Stewed Smoked Herring.

This is yet another one of those “boil and fry” dishes (I’ve shared a few to date) we enjoy throughout the Caribbean. Food we inherited from our ancestors who made use of the land and with limited resources, made incredible meals. Cassava (aka yuca or manioc) was something we always had growing in our kitchen garden growing up, so it’s presence in soups, baked treats, breads and in dishes like this, was the norm. FYI on some islands smoked herring is known as red herrings.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs cassava
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 lb smoked herring fillets
1/2 large onion (sliced)
10-12 grape tomatoes (any tomato will work)
2 scallions (chopped)
4-6 cloves garlic (smashed)
4-6 sprigs thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 -3 tablespoon butter

Important! I used frozen cassava, which I cooked according to the package directions. I also used smoked herring fillets which were cleaned (skin, head etc removed) and main center bone removed, however it did have some tiny bones. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements.

Place the frozen cassava in a deep pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the salt and reduce to a rolling boil and cook until tender. For this brand of frozen cassava it takes about 20 minutes to cook. If using fresh cassava, peel, cut into pieces and bring to a boil in the salted water – adjust cooking time accordingly. To test for doneness, simply stick a sharp knife though a thick piece and if there’s no resistance, they are ready.

As the cassava boils, I boiled water in my kettle and poured over the herring fillets in a deep bowl. This will help to do a few things, hydrate them, remove some of the salt, along with excess smoke. Let it sit in the water until it’s cool enough to handle.

Drain the cassava and set it aside to cool as we have to prepare it a bit further.

The herrings should be cool enough to touch. Here is where you need gloves or the scent of that smoky fish will remains on your hands for a while. Drain the water, rinse with cool water and squeeze dry. Now shred and in doing so if you see any tough bones, remove and discard. There will be some tiny (flexible) ones, those can remain as they should not pose a choking hazard.

In a large pan/pot, heat the olive oil (any oil you like cooking with will work) on a medium flame, then add the onion, garlic, scotch bonnet, black pepper, scallions and thyme. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 3-4 minutes. (Please watch the video below as I speak about Scotch Bonnet Peppers)

4 minutes later, it’s time to add the prepared smoked herrings to the pot and stir well. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the tomato and 1/2 of the parsley. Mix well.

The cassava will be cool, (watch the video below) so it’s time to chop it up into 1 inch pieces and remove the woody center and discard.

Now toss the cut cassava into the pot and stir well, so the cassava picks up all that lovely smoked herring flavor and cook for 3 minutes. Add the butter to give the finished dish a bit of rich creamy flavor and toss in the remaining parsley and you’re done!

I consider this one of the classics when it comes to Caribbean culinary culture and it brings me much joy to not only share this one with you, but to enjoy it when I get a little homesick for the islands.

This is a complete dish, but you can always start with a side salad if you wish. Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Vegan

Boiled And Fried Cassava (vegan | glutenfree)

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cassava recipe (1)

Usually I do this re-fried cassava recipe with bits of salted cod, but with the amount of requests I get for more vegetarian/vegan dishes, I thought we’d rock it this way instead. Cassava, yucca, manioc, mandioca or whatever name you may know this ‘ground provision’ by, is one of those of those ingredients I just adore using/eating. It takes me back to a carefree time and place on the islands, I cherish more the older I get. Let’s get started.

You’ll Need…

1 package frozen cassava (about 2 lbs)
2-3 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion (diced)
2-3 cloves garlic (diced)
2 scallions (chopped)
2 bird’s eye pepper (optional)
2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
2-4 sprigs thyme
8-10 grape tomato (any tomato will work)
1/2 teaspoon salt (for boiling the cassava)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Important. To avoid the emails/comments… yes the dish is 100% vegan but in the image above I did enjoy it with curry fish my mom sent for me.

I used frozen cassava in this dish as it’s the most convenient way to source it in Canada. Plus the cooking time is fast, cooks nice and soft EVERY-TIME and no work peeling the tough skin off fresh cassava. Boil according to the package instructions. Basically put the frozen (but raw) pieces of cassava in a pot with salted boiling water  and cook till tender.

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The package I used said to cook it on a rolling boil for 30 minutes, but in reality it took about 20 minutes. Take a pairing knife and go through a thick part of the boiling cassava.. if there’s no resistance, it’s fully cooked. Drain and set aside to cool. (yes, we use the salt mentioned in the list above for boiling the cassava)

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As the cassava cooks, heat the olive oil in a wide pan over low heat. Then go in with the garlic and onion and cook for a couple minutes on low. After which you can add all the other ingredients (except the cassava), stir and cook for 3-5 minutes on low.

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After the cassava is cool to handle, you’ve got to do two things (watch the video below for help). First you’ll see a sort of tough string running down the middle of the cassava, you’ve got to remove that and discard it. It’s vine-like and tough. Then cut the cassava into bit sized pieces.

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Now add the pieces of cassava to the pot and stir well.

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Cook on low until everything is heated through and mixed well – about 4-5 minutes. Please taste for salt and adjust as we only salted the cassava while it cooked. I didn’t add any further salt. You may cook this on higher heat after adding the cassava and for a bit longer to form a slight crust (very tasty).

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Yea this is a simple one pot dish, which can be enjoyed on it’s own or as a side to any meat or fish dish.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2

Side Dishes Vegetarian

Crispy Golden Cassava (yuca, manioc) Fries.

9 Comments on Crispy Golden Cassava (yuca, manioc) Fries.

I love ground provisions (yam, dasheen, sweet potato, cassava, eddoes, etc) with a passion, so I’m always looking for new ways to include them on my plate. Fresh cut fries (potato) is a huge hit in our home, especially the way I get then super crispy on the outside and warm and creamy on the inside. So the goal of this recipe is to achieve the same result, except we’ll be using cassava.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs cassava
pinch sea salt
3 cups vegetable oil for frying

 

Using a sharp pairing knife of potato peeler, peel the tough exterior off the cassava. Then cut down the middle (length wise) to reveal a sort of core (fibrous) line down the center. Remove that and discard. Now cut as you would normally cut potatoes for fries. Try to keep it a bit thick.

Give the cut cassava a quick wash and set aside. Now bring a pot with water to a boil, then place the cassava pieces so they boil for about 10 minutes. After-which you need to drain them and place on paper towels to dry off all the moisture.

Heat your vegetable oil on a medium/high heat, then gently (make sure they are completely dry) add the now pre-cooked cassava pieces. It should not take more that a few minutes to go a lovely golden brown. Do in batches so you don’t crowd the pan and remember to have some paper towels on hand to drain them after they’ve been fried. Sprinkle with the sea salt as they come out of the hot oil. Serve warm!

We usually have ours with garlic sauce, but ketchup is just as good!  If you’re a fan of ground provisions and fresh cut fries you’ll love this, but keep in mind that for some reason they are more filling than typical potato fries.

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