Grilled Yuca Tortillas
Why I Love This Recipe
taken from the cookbook "Veganomicon"
Ingredients You'll Need
Yuca Filling:
1 pound yuca, peeled, chopped into 4 inch chunks, and each chunk quartered
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into small dice (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeño, roasted or raw, seeded and minced (optional)
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
pinch of ground white pepper
Optional additional fillings-1/2 cup of one or more:
sauteed corn kernels
diced roasted red pepper
sauteed mushroom
sliced black olives
4-6 (8-inch) flour or whole wheat tortillas
Directions
Boil 3 quarts of water in a large, lidded pot. Add the yuca and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the yuca is tender and flakes easily when pierced with a fork. Drain and allow to cool. When the yuca is cool enough to touch, remove any thick rubbery skin from the outside of the roots and/or fibrous core from the center, if present. Gently mash with your fingers and set aside.
Place the oil and garlic in a cold cast-iron skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until sizzling and fragrant. Add the bell and jalapeño peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are very soft, 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool for a few minutes, then pour over the mashed yuca. Stir in the lime juice, salt and white pepper, mashing the mixture even more, until everything is combined (using your hands is okay). If making any of the variations, add those ingredients and mix thoroughly. Taste the mixture and adjust the salt content to taste.
To assemble:
Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Brush a tortilla lightly with olive oil and spread with a generous 1/2 cup of filling, covering half of the tortilla all the way to the edges. Fold in half, gently pressing the tortilla together, and brush each side with a little olive oil. Place in the heated skillet and grill-flipping once-pressing down on the tortilla with a spatula until the outsides are nicely toasted and filling is piping hot. Remove from the heat, cut in half, and serve with salsa and guacamole.
Variations:
Sweet Potato-Black Bean: 1/2 cup of mashed sweet potato (about 1 very small sweet potato, peeled and boiled), 1/2 cup of cooked black beans, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin.
Spinach-Cilantro: 1/2 cup of cooked, chopped spinach, squeezed to remove excess water (half a 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach is perfect), 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander.
