Stuffed Yuca Fritters Recipes

STUFFED YUCA FRITTERS

Steps:

• Place yuca in large saucepan; add enough water to completely cover yuca. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 15 min. or until tender but not soft. Drain. Cool. Meanwhile, combine tomato paste, cumin and dressing in large skillet. Stir in onions. Cook on medium-high heat 3 min. or until onions are tender. Add meat and pepper; mix well. Cook 15 min. or until meat is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.
• Place yuca and cream cheese in large bowl; mash well. Add 2 of the eggs, one at a time, stirring until well blended after each addition. Gradually add flour, stirring until mixture forms a stiff dough. (If dough is too soft, mix in an additional 1 Tbsp. flour.) Shape 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball. Press a deep hole into center of ball with your finger; fill hole with 2 tsp. of the meat mixture. Reshape ball to completely enclose filling. Repeat with remaining dough and meat mixture to form a total of 20 balls; set aside. Beat remaining egg with the 1 tsp. water in shallow bowl or pie plate. Place cracker crumbs in separate shallow bowl or pie plate. Dip yuca balls in the egg mixture, then in the cracker crumbs, turning to evenly coat each ball.
• Heat oil in large saucepan on medium-high to 375°F. Carefully add yuca balls, a few at a time; cook 2 min. or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

ALCAPURRIAS - STUFFED YUCA FRITTERS

Steps:

• For the Filling: Step 1 Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork. Cook, breaking up pork with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5-6 minutes; drain off and discard excess oil. Stir in olives, Sazón and Adobo. Cook, stirring until combined, about 1 minute more. Transfer pork mixture to bowl; transfer to refrigerator until chilled. For the Dough: Step 2 In medium bowl, stir together yuca, Sazón and Adobo until combined; set in refrigerator until chilled. To make the Fritters: Step 3 Scoop ¼ cup yuca mixture into palm of hand. Form into flat oval disk. Scoop 1 tbsp. cooled pork filling into center of dough. Fold dough over filling to enclose; roll dough in hands to form cylinder about 3" long. Place on clean work surface; repeat with remaining dough and filling (you may have some pork left over), until you have 12 yuca cylinders. Step 4 Heat 2" oil in heavy, deep pot over medium-high heat until oil registers 350°F. Add 3-4 yuca cylinders, taking care not to crowd pan. Cook, flipping with slotted metal spoon, until outside of fritter is crisp and dough inside is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F), 7-10 minutes. Transfer fritters to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve warm.

ALCAPURRIAS DE JUEYES (CRAB-STUFFED FRITTERS)

Steps:

• Prepare the annatto oil: In a small saucepan, heat oil and annatto seeds over medium-high. Once the mixture comes to a rolling simmer, remove saucepan from stove, stir to combine, then let rest for 5 minutes. Transfer oil to a heat-safe container, straining out seeds through a fine-mesh sieve, and set aside. (Makes 3/4 cup.) You'll use this oil in three separate steps to come.
• Prepare the masa: Fill a large bowl with cold water and a fistful of salt. Peel and chop yautia and green bananas into 1-inch pieces, then soak in the salted water until ready to process.
• Cut at least 32 squares of wax paper about 4 to 5 inches each. (Traditionally, banana leaves are used, but, since they can be difficult to source, wax paper is an appropriate substitute.)
• Drain yautia and bananas well, then use a clean cloth to dab any excess water. Working in two batches, add half the drained yautia and bananas to the food processor with 1 tablespoon salt, and pulse until fully incorporated. Repeat with the remaining yautia, bananas and 1 tablespoon salt, processing to the texture of chunky hummus.
• Return the first batch of blended yautia and bananas to the food processor, turn it on and gradually pour in 1/2 cup annatto oil, blending the mixture until smooth and dark yellow in color. Taste for salt, then transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate for an hour or more so it can set. (This will make about 9 to 10 cups of masa.)
• Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan, bring 3 tablespoons annatto oil to a simmer over medium heat. Add sofrito, capers, sazón and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Lower heat to medium-low and add crab meat, stirring well to incorporate. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until flavors blend and crab has soaked up the seasoning. Adjust salt as needed.
• Create an assembly line on a long dining table or counter, preferably atop a cloth or towels you don't mind getting stained. From left to right, arrange the remaining annatto oil, wax paper squares, masa, crab filling and a large plate or baking sheet. Have a finger bowl with water and a clean towel available in case your hands get messy.
• Using a small teaspoon, smear about 1/8 teaspoon of annatto oil in a wide oval shape nearly to the edge of the paper. Add about 2 tablespoons of masa, then spread in a wide oval over the annatto oil, leaving at least a 1/2-inch border of paper uncovered. Add about 2 to 3 teaspoons crab to the center of the masa, taking care not to overfill. Fold the paper in half, creating a half-moon shape, and seal the edge by pressing the masa lightly with your fingers, careful not to let the filling spill out. Stack carefully on a plate or baking sheet, and return to the fridge until ready to fry. (These fry up best when they've had time to rest in the refrigerator. If you'd like to prepare these ahead of time, you can refrigerate them for several hours, or store in the freezer for several months. They can be fried directly from the freezer.)
• In a deep, heavy-bottomed pan or deep fryer, bring about 2 inches of vegetable oil (at least 4 cups) to a simmer over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer. Working in batches, carefully transfer each alcapurria to the simmering oil, sliding it off the paper onto your hand, then carefully dropping in the oil. Gently nudge the alcapurrias with heat-safe tongs to prevent them from sticking. (The filling may burst through the edges, causing oil to splatter, so keep a splatter guard handy, if you have one.) Turn each fritter a few times until evenly dark golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from oil and drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and cook remaining alcapurrias. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before eating, as they are quite hot. Sprinkle each bite with your hot sauce of choice.

YUCA FRITTERS (AREPITAS DE YUCA) RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, stand each piece upright and carefully slice off the skin.
• Grate the yuca on the small holes of a box grater.
• Add the grated yuca to a large bowl, along with the softened butter, egg, sugar, anise seeds, and salt. Mix until thoroughly combined.
• In a high-walled skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
• Working in batches, scoop 2 tablespoons of the yuca mixture at a time into your hand and gently press into a ½-inch (1 ¼ cm)-thick fritter. Place on the edge of a metal spatula and carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry the fritters for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer the fritters to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
• Serve the fritters warm.
• Enjoy!