Zonzo

Submitted by WicklewoodWench

"Zonzo is prepared two different ways in Bolivia, either oven baked or open-grilled, and is typical to Eastern Bolivia. Taken from BoliviaBella.com and Posted for ZWT7 (Times and quantities are approximate)"

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1814.36 g yucca root, peeled, boiled and mashed
• 473.18 ml white cheese, crumbled (fresh mozzarella works well)
• 29.58 ml butter or 29.58 ml lard, melted
• 59.14-118.29 ml milk
• 2 eggs
• salt

directions

1. Peel the yucca, cut into medium-sized pieces, and boil in water with salt until they are soft. Remove from water and strain. Mash completely.
2. Add in the eggs and melted butter or lard and mix well.
3. Add in 1/4 cup of milk and mix completely, if the mix is too dry, add more milk, one tablespoon at a time.
4. Add in the crumbled cheese. Mexican 'queso cacique' works well
5. Mix vigorously with a wooden spoon or simply with your hands to incorporate the cheese completely into the mashed yucca.
6. TO BAKE IT.
7. If you plan to make baked zonzo, your mashed yucca can be a bit more wet if you like (however, don't make it runny). Grease a glass baking dish and spread the mashed yucca into the dish. Try to use a dish that isn't too shallow. You want your zonzo to be rather deep and have the consistency of mashed potatoes. If it's too shallow, you may end up baking your zonzo into a thin crisp. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit or about 180 Celcius uncovered until the cheese forms a nice toasty golden brown top. Serve hot.
8. TO GRILL IT.
9. To grill your zonzo on a stick, your mashed yucca should not be too wet. You need it to be pliable and smooth. Scoop some zonzo with your hand and shape it around your stick. You can either grill it directly on the grill, or wrap it in tin foil initially, then after a few minutes you can take off the tin foil and grill it until the cheese toasts to a golden brown. Be sure to turn it around every onc.