Yucca (Cassava) Pancakes

fluffernutter's Note:

This tropical side dish mixes, cooks and tastes a lot like potato pancakes, but made with that starchy tropical vegetable called yuca (pronounced voo-ca). Looks like a brown club. Use a sharp paring knife or a really high quality, fixed blade peeler to peel it (a Wusthof-Trident peeler makes short work of it). The original called for 3 tablespoons sugar, but we like our cakes salty and greasy, so we omitted the sugar. The recipe is from False Tongues and Sunday Bread, a Guatemalan and Mayan Cookbook by Copeland Marks.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 cakes

• 2 lbs yucca root , peeled, grated (cassava)
• ½ cup grated mild cheese or ½ cup ricotta cheese or ½ cup farmer cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar (optional)
• 2 tablespoons butter , melted
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 egg , beaten
• ¼ cup corn oil or ¼ cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except oil.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Spoon in a couple of tablespoons batter and smooth into a 3-inch to 4-inch cake about 1/2-inch thick.
3. Brown on both sides, then drain on paper towels. Serve warm.