VEGETARIAN

Yuca Fries

Cuban Yuca Two Ways: Yuca With Mojo and Yuca Fries

Yuca with mojo or yuca fries are great side dishes to serve with Cuban roast pork. In fact, yuca is preferred over the usual fried plantains. As much as we love our fried maduros and tostones, yuca and roast pork are a Cuban power couple. The traditional Cuban dish we serve for the holidays consists of Cuban roast pork, yuca con mojo, and congri rice. And, of course, we have to make enough for pork sandwiches and yuca fries the next day!

Yuca With Mojo

What is Yuca

Good question! Yuca is a root vegetable that is denser and starchier than potatoes and is served boiled and smothered with mojo and onions. It has a very mild taste that absorbs all the garlicky goodness of the mojo, and the texture is creamy but firm. It’s quite a surprise when you first eat it! 

Although the texture and taste are good, what makes this dish so praiseworthy is the mojo, which consists of sour oranges, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and sauteed onions. When I say the yuca is smothered, I do mean smothered! In fact, I always serve a side of mojo so you can have extra!

Cuban Yuca

Yuca is a very long vegetable, and it has a thick bark-like skin. So you need to make sure you remove the top layer that’s dark brown and the second layer that’s light pink. In fact, the best way to peel the yuca is to cut a slit lengthwise and then start to peel off the skin, similar to how you would a bark. 

Cuban Yuca

It’s easier to remove the bark if you first cut the yuca into four-inch pieces lengthwise. Once the bark is removed, split each yuca piece in half or thirds. You’ll notice there’s a tough string-like piece in the center. You’ll want to remove that because it’s too tough to eat. The easiest way to remove it is after you boil the yuca. So boil the yuca until tender and remove the thick string-like center.

If you can’t find fresh yuca in the produce section, you may be able to find frozen yuca chunks ready to cook.

Cuban Roast Pork

How To Make Mojo Sauce

This is a versatile sauce that’s also used as a marinade. When you use it as a marinade you omit the onions and add a little cumin and oregano. Mojo is easy to make, and it packs such a nice citrusy punch!

To make the mojo sauce for the yuca, sauté sliced onions and crushed garlic in olive oil until the onions are softened. Then add fresh-squeezed sour orange juice at the end. If you can’t find sour oranges, you can use a combination of equal parts fresh-squeezed lime juice and orange juice. Add some salt and pepper and that’s it! You can play it pretty fast and loose with the ingredients and add as much or as little as you like to get it where you like it. You’ll find you’ll be using this sauce to top meat dishes and veggies all the time!

Yuca Fries

Make Yuca Fries With The Leftovers!

You always want to make a little extra yuca and mojo for the second day because you’ve got to make yuca fries. To make the yuca fries, slice the yuca pieces into planks that look somewhat similar to wedge fries but so much better, IMHO. When you fry the yuca, the outer skin gets super crunchy, and the inside gets creamy. This is the best way to enjoy your leftover yuca! If you want just go for the yuca fries, you’ll still need to boil the yuca and let it cool before you make the yuca fries.

Serve the yuca planks with mojo on top or on the side. Or, my favorite, serve it with a little lime-cilantro aioli. OMG! I want some right now🤤

A local fast food place in Miami called Pollo Tropical serves Yucatan fries (fried yuca), and they are the best. They also cut the yuca into tiny chunks to make the Cuban version of tater tots. So, yes, you can also cut the yuca into 1-inch pieces and make them tater tot style. If you live in Florida, you’re probably familiar with this chain. If not, stop by when you visit the state!

Want to try the yuca with the Cuban roast pork? Here’s the recipe for lechon asado. And, if you want to go for the full Cuban feast, make caramel flan for dessert, too.

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Yuca Fries

Cuban Yuca Two Ways: Yuca With Mojo and Yuca Fries

  • Author: Sandi Abbott
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: vegetable
  • Method: boil or fry
  • Cuisine: cuban

Description

Yuca with mojo sauce is a great side dish for roast pork. This Cuban root vegetable is dense, creamy and is often eaten as yuca fries, too.


Ingredients

Scale

23 big yuca root vegetable (about 2 pounds)

1 sliced yellow onion

56 cloves minced garlic

¼ cup olive oil

Juice from 12 sour oranges, or to taste (see note)

Salt and black pepper to taste


Instructions

Boiled Yuca With Mojo

  • Heat a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. 
  • While the water heats up, slice the onions and mince the garlic.
  • Cut the yuca into 4 inch pieces and then half each piece. 
  • Peel the yuca skin (you need to remove both the dark outer skin and the pink layer underneath… see note).
  • Add the yuca to the boiling water and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook the yuca until fork tender (about 20 minutes or so).
  • Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until the onions are softened but not browned.
  • Add the sour orange juice to taste.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pour over boiled yuca. 

Yuca Fries

  • Cut the leftover boiled yuca pieces into wedges. (It’s best to cut while it’s cold.)
  • Heat 1-2 cups of vegetable oil in saucepan.
  • Fry the yuca wedges.
  • Remove from the heat and drain on paper towels.
  • Serve with leftover mojo sauce (or make some more, if you ate all if to the day before!). You can also serve the yuca with lime cilantro aioli. 

Notes

You should be able to find sour oranges in Latin markets. But if it’s not available, use a mixture that’s equal parts lime juice and orange juice. You’ll want roughly ¼ cup of juice.

If you can’t find the yuca in the produce section, you’ll probably find it in the freezer section.

The best way to peel the yuca is to cut the long yuca into 4 inch pieces. Then cut a slit into the thick bark-like skin. Peel back the bark as you would on a tree. This way, you’ll remove both the outer skin that’s dark brown as well as the inner layer that’s light pink. The pink layer is hard and is not appetizing. 

This recipe makes enough for about 6 servings of yuca and leftovers for about 3-4 servings the next day. 


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10

Keywords: yuca, yuca fries, yuca with mojo, boiled yuca, yuca con mojo, yuca frita, yuca recipes, cuban yuca, fried yuca

Malanga Fritters

Malanga Fritters (Frituras de Malanga) Have Such A Great CRUNCH!

What I love the most about malanga fritters is the CRUNCH! Frituras de malanga, as they are called in Spanish, are a super crunchy Cuban appetizer that’s quick and easy to make. My daughter and I love them, especially with a drizzle of Sriracha mayo or lime cilantro sauce. It’s a super Cuban recipe but not as popular as maduros or plantain chips. Well, I’m glad I can give these malanga fritters a little hype today, because they do deserve it!

Malanga

What Is Malanga?

Here I am waxing poetic about malanga fritters, and you’re probably wondering what the heck is a malanga?! Malanga is a root vegetable that’s very common in Latin America and the Caribbean. It’s creamier than a potato and more nutrient-dense. And the skin is hairy… I know, that sounds weird! It’s also skinnier than a potato.

Malanga is a great source of fiber and very easy on the stomach. In fact, when Cubans have any stomach issues, the home remedy is a nice bowl of mashed malanga (puree de malanga). Read this article to learn more about the health benefits of malanga. 

Malanga is also used in soups instead of potatoes. We make a delicious cream of malanga soup that’s actually very popular and featured on most Cuban restaurant menus. 

If you can’t find malanga for this recipe, you can try using taro. While not the same, the two are pretty similar and sometimes sold interchangeably.

Frituras de Malanga

Ingredients for Malanga Fritters

The ingredients list is super short and simple for this one:

  • Malanga
  • Minced Onions
  • Minced Parsley
  • Garlic Powder
  • Salt
  • White Pepper
  • Vinegar

The onions and the parsley should be finely minced. You’ll notice in my recipe photos there are some bigger pieces of parsley… that’s just mami (aka Bean Train) doing her own thing while my back was turned ? I think it’s better when everything is finely minced, but mami likes chunky stuff. You decide which version you like best (but try mine first!)

Malanga Fritters

How to Make Frituras de Malanga

These fritters have very few ingredients, so it’s an easy Cuban recipe to make. The most difficult thing is grating the malanga because it can get a bit slippery. Not slimy, just slippery so it makes grating a bit of a challenge. Weird, right? I use a paper towel to hold the malanga in place as I’m grating it. You can process it in the food processor, but the texture is better if you grate it. 

Once you’ve heated the oil in a frying pan, drop the malanga mix by tablespoons into the hot oil. What type of spoon you use to drop the dough into the batter will determine the shape. My mom always used a heaping spoonful and they come out an irregular oval, like you see in some of the photos. I like to use a mini ice cream scooper to give them a more rounded look. Also, you can make the malanga fritters a bit bigger, but I like how crunchy they are when they’re small. I serve them with a lime-cilantro sauce or Sriracha mayo. It just kicks it up a notch?

As with most fritters, frituras de malanga are best eaten hot. They tend to get soggy if you let them sit too long. So, I suggest you make as many fritters are you think your crew will eat and save the remaining dough in the fridge to make another day. The dough keeps in the refrigerator for a few days. This recipe should make about 24 fritters.

If you can find malanga, I hope you give these a try. This is a delicious Cuban appetizer to serve at your next tapas party… with a glass of sangria, of course. ¡Buen provecho!

Frituras de Malanga

Want more recipes for Cuban appetizers? Check out my Cuban Tapas Party recipes!

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Frituras de Malanga

Malanga Fritters (Frituras de Malanga) Have Such A Great CRUNCH!

  • Author: Sandi Abbott
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 24 1x
  • Category: fritters
  • Method: frying
  • Cuisine: Cuban

Description

These malanga fritters (aka frituras de malanga) are a super crunchy cuban appetizer perfect for tapas. If you’re not familiar with malanga, it’s a root vegetable that’s creamier and more nutrient-dense than potatoes. 


Ingredients

Scale

2 cups grated malanga (about 3 malangas)

½ cup finely diced onion

1 teaspoon grated garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 beaten egg

2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)


Instructions

Peel and grate the malanga using a box grater affiliate link (or use a food processor). While you can use a food processor, the texture is much better if you grate it. The last little bits are hard to grate, so you may want to use the food processor for those bits or discard them. 

Finely dice the onions and the parsley. (My mom tends to leave the parsley a bit bigger, but I prefer it finely diced!)

Malanga Fritter Dough

Add the rest of the ingredients to the grated malanga. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

Malanga Fritters

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium frying pan on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, then drop the malanga mixture by tablespoonfuls into the hot oil. Fry for about 7-8 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Add a little salt and serve. 

Makes 24 fritters. 



Notes

Grating the malanga is a bit of challenge because malanga is slippery. I use a paper towel to get a firmer grip on the malanga. You need to use the side of the grater with the smallest holes. 

Fry only the ones you intend to eat right away, as fritters get soggy if you let them sit too long. Then, you can refrigerate the uncooked dough for another day. The dough keeps for a few days in the fridge. 

Serve with sriracha mayo or lime cilantro sauce. 


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 fritters

Keywords: malanga, malanga fritters, frituras de malanga, cuban appetizers

Pan Con Tomate

Pan Con Tomate Is An Easy Spanish Tapas

Pan Con Tomate is a very traditional Spanish tapas that is deceptively simple and so, so amazing! I must confess that I just recently tried this, although it’s something my mom loves and has told me about literally for decades. It just seemed too simple to be a “thing.” But I stand so, so corrected!

Pan Con Tomate is basically bread with tomato… see what I mean? It sounds so basic, so meh. But don’t dismiss it until you’ve tried it!! It’s similar in taste to Italian bruschetta but simpler, more subtle, and a great complement to a Tabla Mixta (cheese and charcuterie board). You can eat it on its own or pile on some cheese and Spanish ham. 

I tried Pan Con Tomate for the first time at Bulla Gastrobar, one of my favorite tapas bars in Miami. We ordered a Tabla Mixta and an order of Pan Con Tomate to go with it.  And sangria, of course! I devoured it. I just couldn’t wait to make it at home and show it to you!!

Pan Con Tomate

Super Easy Recipe

This requires no cooking and can really be done with just four basic ingredients in ten minutes tops. The tomato topping is literally grated tomato with a bit of salt and pepper. That’s it! Here are the steps:

  • Cut the baguette loaf into 3-4 pieces crosswise and then split each piece in half, like you would for a sandwich. Or you can cut it into thin diagonal slices, similar to crostini.
  • Brush a little olive oil on the bread and toast it.
  • Cut a tomato in half and gently squeeze to remove most of the seeds. Then grate each half into a bowl using a box grater. Add a little salt and pepper.
  • Cut a garlic clove in half and rub it on the toasted bread.
  • Spread a layer of the grated tomato on top of the garlic-rubbed toast. 
  • Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
  • Pile on extra toppings if you’re so inclined.
  • Daintily devour it with wine or sangria. 

Easy to make and easy to make it disappear!

Pan Con Tomate

Quality Ingredients Go Into This Pan Con Tomate Recipe

The beauty of this Spanish tapas dish is that it’s so very simple to make. But for this Pan Con Tomate tapas to shine and be all it’s meant to be, you need quality ingredients to build it. Here’s what you need:

Loaf of Bread – You need a good quality loaf of French bread or Ciabatta for this Pan Con Tomate recipe. I used a baguette loaf from a great local baker – shout out to Zak the Baker bread, available at my local Whole Foods.

Tomato – You want a nice, firm, vine-ripened tomato for this. I tried an heirloom tomato, thinking that would be best, but I found it not as good as the vine-ripened tomatoes. 

Garlic – make sure to use fresh, fresh garlic! I tried this recipe with some poor little leftover garlic cloves the first time I made the Pan Con Tomate, and the garlic flavor was not strong enough.

Olive Oil – You need a drizzle of good quality olive oil. It brightens things up and adds just the right notes. Has to be olive oil.

Prosciutto – This is optional, but I highly recommend it! The traditional ham to use for this is Spanish Iberico Ham or Serrano Ham. But me and my peeps really love prosciutto, so I used that instead.  

Manchego Cheese – Again, totally optional, but a great addition. 

spanish tapas

This is the perfect, easy start to a lovely meal or tapas party. Or a great way to get date night off to the right track ?

Try it with a pitcher of red wine sangria… now you’re talkin’!

bean train food for thought

I must admit I can be such a brat! For years my mom would gush about how good Pan Con Tomate (bread with tomato) was. And how she grew up eating Pan Con Aguacate (bread with avocado – aka avocado toast), and I would roll my eyes and refuse to try them. 

When I was growing up and hearing about these dishes, it sounded so ethnic. It was stuff old Cubans ate, but not for young Americans. I just wanted to be American and eat hamburgers and apple pie. I suppose every immigrant child goes through a phase like this as they try to assimilate and fit in with other kids. 

Now the joke’s on me, because everybody loves avo toast and my trendy tapas bar serves Pan Con Tomate. I really should have listened to my mother. ?

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Pan Con Tomate Recipe

Pan Con Tomate Is An Easy Spanish Tapas

  • Author: Sandi Abbott
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 5
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: appetizers
  • Method: toast
  • Cuisine: spanish

Description

This simple and delicious Pan Con Tomate is a traditional tapas recipe that’s super quick and easy to make. It requires no cooking and can be done with just four basic ingredients in ten minutes tops. Try it with a little prosciutto, wine and cheese. You’ll love, love it!

 


Ingredients

Scale

Loaf of French baguette bread

1 garlic clove

¼ cup olive oil, more or less (I usually don’t measure this, just drizzle as I see fit 😉

3 vine-ripened tomatoes

Salt and pepper


Instructions

  • Cut the baguette loaf into 3-4 pieces crosswise and then split each piece in half, like you would for a sandwich. Or you can cut it into thin diagonal slices similar to crostini.
  • Brush a little olive oil on the cut sides of the bread and toast it.
  • Cut the tomatoes in half and gently squeeze to remove most of the seeds. Then grate each half into a bowl using a box grater affiliate link. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cut the garlic clove in half and rub it on the cut sides of the toasted bread
  • Spread a layer of the grated tomato on top of the garlic-rubbed toast
  • Drizzle with a bit of olive oil
  • Cut into smaller pieces if desired
  • Optional: top with Iberico ham or prosciutto

Notes

Serve with cheese and charcuterie board. 

Calorie count does not include ham. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: slice

Keywords: Pan Con Tomate, Pan con tomate recipe, spanish tapas, traditional spanish tapas

grilled veggie salad

Grilled Vegetable Salad For Easy Summer BBQ

If you love the smokey flavor of char-grilled veggies, you’ll love this grilled vegetable salad. This salad is perfect with grilled meats, so you can grill the veggies along with your meats. Then toss in a little vinaigrette for a quick and tasty BBQ salad. 

Summer grilling should be easy and breezy, so you can sit back and relax with a glass of sangria or a margarita as you’re cooking and chatting with your favorite people. Or, in my case, watching your son do the grilling. That’s even better!!

Grilled vegetable salad

Best Grilled Vegetables For This Salad

We usually eat this salad with grilled meats, so I use veggies that are great with steak, like asparagus, corn, and bell peppers. But you can use your favorite vegetables for this salad and switch them up based on the proteins you’re grilling. 

The asparagus, corn, and red bell pepper combo is my husband’s favorite. But other great combos include zucchini, grape tomatoes, and peppers, or eggplant, peppers, red onion, and cherry tomatoes.

Peppers were just made for grilling, so no matter what combo of veggies I use, red peppers are always included. Peppers tend to char quite a bit, so depending on how much you like the charred taste, you may want to remove the skin. In that case, cover the grilled peppers with some foil to let them steam for a bit. This will make it easier to remove the skins. 

Prepping Your Veggies For Grilling

Definitely season your veggies before grilling. I usually brush the veggies with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper. Then let it sit for a few minutes so the salt can stick to the veggies. If you salt and then grill right away, the salt doesn’t have a chance to permeate the veggies to season them properly. Give salt a chance!

Whichever combo of veggies you use for your grilled veggie salad, cut them into big chunks to make it easy to grill. Larger pieces are less likely to fall through the grates and get overcooked.  

You can cook corn with or without the husk, but keep in mind it will take twice as long to cook the corn that way. I usually remove the husk, so everything cooks at roughly the same time. 

Grilling the Vegetables

Veggies take a little longer to cook than meats. Make sure to time your cooking, so veggies are done when the meat is ready. Heat up the grill to the highest setting, place the meat in the hottest section for searing, and add the veggies around the meat, away from the hottest parts of the grill. Veggies need a slightly lower temperature, so they don’t burn. 

Once the meat is done, let it rest while the veggies finish cooking. 

Grilled vegetable salad

Dressing Your Grilled Veggie Salad

Once the veggies are done,  you can chop them a bit if necessary and then toss in a dressing. Or you can plate the grilled vegetables and then drizzle the vinaigrette on top. Finally, if you’re in the mood and feeling festive, crumble a little feta or queso fresco on top. Oh my goodness, my mouth is watering now!

I used a simple balsamic vinaigrette for this salad, but I also love to drizzle my Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce on the veggies. This go-to Argentine table sauce is also great with meats or as a dip with plantains. So, so good!

Let the grilling begin!

bean train food for thought

When people think of grilling, the season that most often comes to mind is summer. But, for me, the season I think of is the winter, when the weather is the nicest in Miami. By the time summer rolls around, we’re rolling our activities indoors to stay away from the Miami summer heat and humidity.

This makes me think of the importance of perspective. We make assumptions based on our own lived experiences. This is, of course, natural. But we need to leave some room to allow for the perspective of others. Of course, I’m assuming your summer is different from mine… maybe it isn’t 😉

Backyard Barbecue Menu Cookbook
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Grilled vegetable salad

Grilled Vegetable Salad For Easy Summer BBQ

  • Author: Sandi Abbott
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: BBQ
  • Cuisine: American

Description

If you love the smokey flavor of char-grilled veggies, you’ll love this grilled vegetable salad that’s a perfect complement for steaks on the grill.


Ingredients

Scale

3 ears of corn on the cob

2 red bell peppers

1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound) – try to get thick stalks

About 1/3 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper 

Balsamic Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 crushed garlic clove

1 teaspoon basil (if you have fresh basil, use a tablespoon of basil ribbons)

Or use ¼ cup Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce.


Instructions

Preheat: Heat a grill to medium to high heat, depending on what else you’re grilling. For example, steaks need a higher heat than veggies.  

Prep:

  • Cut the bell peppers and remove the ribs and seeds. Cut in as large a piece as you can. I usually cut the tops and bottoms off and then cut the body into 3 large pieces that can lay pretty flat on the grill. 
  • Cut the woody ends of the asparagus off, or bend the asparagus and let it snap. 
  • Remove the husk and silk from the ears of corn.
  • Brush the veggies lightly with oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Let the veggies sit for about 10 minutes before putting them on the grill. 

Cook: Grill the veggies until they have some char and color but aren’t burned. You don’t want to dry out the veggies, so they should still have some bite. Grill times will vary based on your grill and the thickness of the veggies. But following are my grill times:

  • Corn: 20 minutes
  • Bell Peppers: 10 minutes
  • Asparagus: 4 minutes (this is the one that tends to burn the most, especially if the stalks are thin)

Dressing:

  • Remove the veggies and give them a few minutes to rest. If you plan to remove the charred skin on the red bell peppers, place them under a foil tent to steam a bit to make the skin removal easier. 
  • Chop the asparagus and peppers into bite-size pieces. The corn is the hottest to handle, so I cut this one last. Slice the corn kernels off the husk, leaving some of the pieces together. 
  • Dress your salad with the Cilantro Chimichurri or the balsamic vinaigrette.  

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: about a cup

Keywords: Grilled vegetable salad, Grilled veggie salad, Char grilled vegetable salad recipe

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