Cassava soup 1

Brazilians eat cassava soup in the cassava season which starts in July and ends in December. Not all cassava sold in Europe and North America has a good quality but importing cassava from different climate zones has the advantage that it is possible to buy good cassava the whole year round.

Ingredients:

• ½ kg (1 lb) of beef
• 1 kg (2 lb) of cassava
• cooking oil, butter or margarine
• 2 spoons of cut onion
• water
• 4 stock cubes (meat)
• salt and pepper to taste
• freshly cut parsley for garnish

Preparation
Peel the cassava. If you cut a cassava tuber in two, you’ll see that the stem continues within the tuber. Furthermore, you’ll see a dark ring just below the skin. Peel the cassava deep enough to remove the dark ring. Cook the cassava until it is soft. Drain the cassava in a colander. The stem is removed from the cooked cassava.

Melt some butter or margarine (or use oil) in an other pan. Sauté the onion. Cut the beef in cubes and fry it. Add 8 cups of water and the stock cubes. Cut the cassava in cubes and add it. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer without cover, the soup will thicken. When the soup has thickened it is ready. Garnish with parsley.

NB: Do not store uncooked cassava if it is cut.