This is a variation of empanaditas that is made with the ingredient from which it borrows its name: cassava flour. In this recipe, since we assume you won't be able to buy cassava flour at your local store, we obtain the same results using a different method.

Time: 60 Mins
Difficulty: Medium
Serve: 8 people

Before starting to cook: Peel and grate the yuca.

Ingredients:

• ~ For the filling
• 1/4 lb. of ground beef
• Enough oil for frying
• 2 leaves of basil chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 small red onion
• 1 green pepper
• Black ground pepper
  ~ For the dough
• 1 lb. of cassava (yuca, yucca roots)
• 1/4 cup boiling-hot water
• Salt

Preparation:

1. Chop the onion into small cubes of about 1/2 cm. Cut the pepper and get rid of the seeds. Chop the peppers into small cubes about the same size as the onions. Put the ground beef in a bowl, mix the pepper and the onion, add a pinch of oregano, a pinch of pepper and a teaspoon of salt.
   
2. In a shallow pan heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the ground beef and stir so it cooks uniformly. Add two tablespoons of water and the tomato paste. Let simmer at medium heat. Adjust water when necessary. When the meat is ready let all the liquid evaporate, adjust salt to taste. Turn off the heat and reserve.
   
3. Using a piece of cloth squeeze the grated yuca to get rid of as much moisture as possible. In a deep-bottomed pan mix in hot water, a teaspoon of salt and grated yuca and cook over medium fire until all the liquid evaporates. Stir often to avoid burning. Let cool to room temperature.
   
4. Oil the palm of your hands and form balls with two tablespoon of the yuca mixture. On a lightly oiled surface flatten the balls with your hands until they form thin disks. Put a teaspoon of the beef in the center, double over in a semi-circle and seal the border pressing it with a fork. Deep fry the pasties in very hot oil and put on a paper towel for a minute before serving.

Tia Clara,

If i do have cassava flour available to me, what is the procedure?

Does frozen grated yuca work as well?


Gracias
-Verita

Wow! Where did you get the cassava flour. That is hard to find even here in Dom. Rep. If you find the cativia you need to add the hot water to the flour and cook it as explained in step three.

Yes, you can use frozen yuca (after it is thawed out of course )

so, I would work with it the way i would Masa Harina? getting it moist enough to make a dough?

A group of Dominicanos from NYC recently opened a grocery here in NC that is stocked full of all types of Latino and caribbean food items, from all of the islands. They even carry pan de yuca and casabe. I'm certain i've seen cassava flour.


This is wonderful option because i have a friend who is wheat intolerant and has wanted to eat my empanadas forever, but always has to pass because of the dough.

All the ingredients remain the same except that you'll use 1/2 lb of catibia instead of fresh yuca and use 1 cup of hot water.

Do step 1 and 2 as described in the recipe.

In a deep-bottomed pan mix catibia (yuca flour) and hot water and cook over medium fire until all the liquid evaporates. Stir often to avoid burning. Let cool to room temperature.

Proceed with step 4.

i made this recipe today and it was a total sucess. the whole family was very pleased

I am very glad. It is always nice to hear success stories.