Chorizo and Cassava

This past weekend I was introduced to a Spanish supermarket. I was thrilled because I had not been able to find one for the longest time. I had always heard great things about Chorizo but never tried it! I know I'm such a deprived cook! So I picked up a package. Along with Cassave, some Spanish spices and many other things.  What is Cassava you ask? Well it's also known as the Yuca. Here read up on it...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava


Let's take a look....

Hey I never said it was pretty. Wipe that grin off of your face
I think we should cut this bad boy in half and take one more peak....

In case you don't know Chorizo is Spanish sausage. It has smoked Paprika in it. MMM yummy! Ok so onto my experience. While I have cooked with Cassava many times, I never had the pleasure of cooking with Chorizo. I have heard of Chorizo burgers and knew enough to add ground beef in  them. However I ran out of ground beef! But what I did have were homemade meatballs. I know laugh it up! You know they weren't half bad! So let's get to it shall we...


3 links chorizo
2 meatballs, or ground beef  (my meatballs are huge so you may need more, equal amounts of sausage to beef)
I thought with the meatballs these had plenty of flavor.




If using plain ground beef you'll also need*
salt/pepper to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of Saffron if you have it, purely optional
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
Hamburg buns, I used homemade but store bought is fine. I suggest a thick hamburg bun.


Ok so mix it all up in a bowl. Form into patties and cook the chorizo through. When forming the patties make them a touch bigger then the buns. They will shrink when you cook them and should fit the buns perfectly!
I served these flavorful burgers with tomato, lettuce and seasoned mayo. In case you were wondering I used salt, pepper, parika and garlic powder. You can use a few dashes of whatever seasoning you would like. Fresh herbs work great as well.


Onto Cassava Pancakes!
To me the Cassava kind of tastes like a potato, a touch sweeter at times.
1 cassava
1 tablespoon of flour
1 tablespoon onion, chopped
sprinkle of cheese (optional) I used a Mexican blend
Cut the Cassava in half and peel it. I find using a knife works best for me. Then shred it with a grater. I let mine sit in a colander for a few minutes to drain some excess liquid. Mix it all together just as you would a hamburger. Flatten it and fry them up until golden brown on each side.