You Can Grow Oca!
(Page 3 of 4)
August/September 2007
By William Woys Weaver
You’ll get many different sizes of tubers from the same plant, some large (2 to 3 inches in length or longer, depending on the variety), and hundreds of tiny ones. For seed stock, you can store the little ones in a cool, dark place until it’s time to plant.
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Once you get a working system down pat, the yield from your oca plants can be huge. It always has puzzled me that commercial growers haven’t turned to oca as a good winter crop because a lot of money can be made on it now that chefs are putting it on high-end menus and it’s one of few crops that are harvested fresh in winter. Plus, oca stores well. Just keep the tubers in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. They don’t need to be kept in a root cellar.
Oca con Salsa Picante
This appetizer from Peru is both delicious and easy to make. For spicing, Peruvians prefer to use their indigenous aji escabeche (ceviche pepper), an ancient variety with huge flavor and controlled heat. But because it’s almost impossible to find in the United States, I opted for jalapeño. You can add more heat if you like: Oca can take it. And by the way, if you can’t find oca, you can always use waxy potatoes chopped into 1-inch segments. Not quite the same, but the salsa will work for both.
Steam tubers in a tightly covered container over high heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until the oca is cooked “al dente” (oca cooks quickly and can easily become mushy; overcooking will cause most varieties to lose their bright color or turn transparent). Remove from heat and pour into a large work bowl. Toss with cold wine and cover. Set aside to cool.
While the oca is cooking, shell and devein the shrimp, then dust lightly with flour (optional). Heat the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan and cook the shrimp until lightly golden. Remove from heat, lift out with a slotted spoon and combine with the steamed oca. Once the oca and shrimp cool to room temperature, add the dressing. Stir well and let stand for 10 minutes, then serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.
OCA/SHRIMP MIXTURE
3 pounds oca tubers
¼ cup cold dry white wine
1 pound fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 tbsp flour (optional)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
SALSA DRESSING
Coarsely puree the following; adjust seasonings to taste:
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar, or more to taste
2 cups chopped cilantro, leaves only
2 tbsp minced shallot
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp finely chopped jalapeño pepper, or more
heat to taste
3 tbsp lime juice
7 tbsp olive oil
