Filling:
1/2 c Olive oil
2 md Onions; chopped
1 tb Red chili flakes
1 lb Carne seca (3 c); soaked,
- cooked, trimmed, shredded
2 Ripe tomatoes; chopped
1/4 c Scallions; finely sliced
Salt
Yuca Puree:
2 lb Yuca; peeled,
- roughly sliced
Salt
1 c Requeijao or mascarpone
2 tb Butter
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
The real name of the dish is "Escondidinho de Carne-Seca", which
literally translates to "Jerky Beef Little Hidden One", the
carne-seca is "hidden" in between the two layers of velvety yuca
puree.
Filling:
Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once
oil is hot, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft; 3
to 4 minutes. Add red chili flakes and stir for a minute. Add
carne-seca (beef jerky) and stir to combine. Add tomatoes and cook
until they incorporated into sauce; 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat
and fold in scallions. Sample and add a bit of salt, if needed.
Yuca Puree:
Place yuca in a large pot and cover with water. Add 1/2 ts salt. Cook
on medium heat until yuca is very soft; 30 to 60 minutes. Time will
vary depending on the variety and quality of yuca.
Once cooked, remove pieces of yuca to a plate; allow cooling enough
to touch. Save 1 cup of the cooking water.
Once yuca is cool enough to touch (it should still be pretty warm)
remove any stems from the center. Transfer yuca pieces to a mixer or
food processor (cut into smaller pieces if necessary), add 1/2 cup
cooking water, requeijao or mascarpone, and butter. Pulse until
puree is smooth. If it turns out too thick, add remaining 1/2 cup of
cooking water. Sample and add more salt, if needed.
Assemblage: Preheat oven to 375°F. Place half of the yuca puree on
the bottom of a medium sized baking dish. Layer carne-seca filling
on top. Cover with remaining yuca puree. Sprinkle parmesan cheese
and bake until top is golden brown; 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 10
minutes before serving.
Notes:
Carne-seca (dried meat in Portuguese) is a kind of dried, salted
meat, usually beef, in Brazilian cuisine. Carne-seca is typically
very salty. Make sure to soak it overnight before cooking. If there
is no time for soaking, simmer the meat for about one to two hours,
changing the cooking water at least two or three times during the
process. Remove the pieces of meat and discard the water. Allow the
carne-seca to come to room temperature before shredding. Shred very
finely and remove all visible fat.
Requeijao is a Brazilian type of cream cheese white in color but
not similar to the American notion of cream cheese, and may be
better understood as "creamy cheese". It has a mild taste and its
consistency can vary from creamy solid, like the catupiry, to
liquid. When I don't have requeijao available, I like to use Italian
mascarpone.
To achieve a nice golden color on top, turn the broil on for a
couple of minutes by the end of baking time. Then remove from the
oven, let stand for 10 minutes and serve.
