Colombian Fried Cassava

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Alan Withee for this one:

A minister was completing a temperance sermon. With great
emphasis he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it
and pour it into the river." With even greater emphasis he said,
"And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into
the river." And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he said,
"And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it
into the river!" Sermon complete, he sat down.

The song leader stood very cautiously and announced with a
smile, nearly laughing, "For our closing song, let us sing 'Shall
We Gather at the River.'"

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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It has been several weeks since I stuck to my standard weekly
format, offering up full weeks of breakfasts, casseroles, and soups
instead, so this week we return to things as usual with a tour of
Latin America. Here is the lineup for our "Latin American Sampler":

(Recipes in brackets are in the PLUS Edition only.)

Monday's Starter
Colombian Fried Cassava (Yuca Frita)
[Mexican Toasted Chickpeas (Garbanzos Compuestos)]

Tuesday's Soup or Salad
Puerto Rican Green Plantain Soup (Sopa de Platano Verde)
[Ecuadorian Peanut Soup (Sopa de Mani)]

Wednesday's Side Dish
Venezuelan Spinach with Anchovies (Espinacas con Anchoas)
[Bolivian Cabbage Stew (Guiso de Repollo)]

Thursday's Entree
Peruvian Veal with Carrots (Ternera con Zanahorias)
[Mexican Fish with Cilantro (Pescado con Cilantro)]

Friday's Dessert
Colombian Sweet Cheese (Dulce de Queso)
[Brazilian Coconut Cupcakes (Quindins de YaYa)]

Whether you call it cassava, yuca, manioc, or aipim, the tuberous
root of the Manihot utilissima is a staple crop throughout much of
the world. It is now available in most American supermarkets and
deserves more attention than it gets here. These crispy fritters are
often served with drinks in Colombia and are usually eaten as
finger food.

Colombian Fried Cassava (Yuca Frita)

1 lb (450 g) cassava (yuca) peeled
Vegetable oil or lard for frying
Salt to taste

Cut the cassava into 1-inch (2 cm) pieces and boil in salted water
until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels -
some of them will probably break into smaller pieces, but that isn't
a problem. Heat about 1 inch (2 cm) of oil in a large skillet over high
heat until the surface shimmers. Fry the cassava until crisp and
golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels
and salt generously. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Mon Nov 6 03:07:35 2006