So after many times of looking at it in the store, today i finally bought some manioc for the first time and wanted to try prepare it into a meal. I've only eaten manioc once in a restaurant years ago and i liked it then. Manioc is similar to potato but has more starch in it and very little protein. However i thought i'd deserve a little something nice on a saturday after all the (allegedly) healthy eating.

I wanted to make something creamy aswell, so i decided to make some quick blue cheese sauce. To have atleast some color and fresh vegetables in the dish i added my basic salad which i often eat as a meal with a lot of cottage cheese or shrimp and avocado on top in the evenings.

 

 

Blue cheese sauce:

- 2 dl cooking cream

- 50 g crumbled  blue cheese

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 2 tsp parsley

- black pepper

Crush the garlic and cut the parsley small. Mix the ingredients in a small saucepan and let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 10 mins. I used a ready garlic parsley cube (except that i added some parsley) since i had one left. I haven't seen those being sold in stores in a while.

 

Manioc sticks:

- small manioc

- salt

- black pepper

- oil

- butter

Peel the manioc and cut it in half. Remove any woodlike hard spots and cut the manioc in sticks. Yes, the manioc itself is quite hard. It's meant to be, so don't throw away the whole thing thinking it's all wood.  Rinse the sticks in a bowl of cold water to get rid of the excess starch. Dry the sticks with a clean kitchen towel.

Heat about 4 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter (i usually use this half butter half margarine that is meant to be put on bread, but it's also good for cooking) in a frying pan or saucepan. Add the manioc sticks and fry them on medium low heat mixing now and then until they are golden yellow and kind of splintered looking. Season with just a hint of salt (since the sauce will be salty) and black pepper. While you are frying the manioc you can make the salad.

 

Basic salad:

- cabbage

- celery

- spring onion

- red onion

- red paprika

- (cherry) tomatoes

- rutabaga (lanttu)

(- sorrel (viinisuolaheinä))

- balsamic vinegar

- black pepper

Cut up the vegetables and toss the salad. Grind some black pepper and pour a little balsamic vinegar on top.

 

Here is my (late) lunch (or early dinner):

 

If you have leftover sauce and manioc sticks you can eat them later by dipping the sticks into the sauce. You can choose whether to heat the sticks or sauce or not.

 

Maniokkitikut - Homejuustokastike  - Salaatti