Issue 65: Make Yuca con Mojo with Butcher Lena Diaz at 8 Hands Farm
Let's get "In the Kitchen with Lena Diaz," head butcher at an idyllic farm on the North Fork of Long Island.
Heeey KP!
I am SO excited to introduce you to Lena, a Cuban-Chinese-American (Cuchinerican?) butcher who’s been slinging knives and breaking down animals for over fifteen years in both Europe and the East Coast. Lena is one of the most educated foodies I know and an amazing teacher to boot. She taught me how to chisel through a pig’s head to claim the most tender delicacy of pork cheeks and so much more as a lowly intern at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats in New York City.
Check out Lena’s foodie Q&A below and her staple side dish at home, yuca con mojo. Leave it to the butcher to share a vegetarian recipe. It makes sense that after spending all day with meat, a girl needs some veggies! Make sure to scroll all the way down for her expert video on what cuts to ask for at your next butcher shop stop!
In the Kitchen with… Lena Diaz at 8 Hands Farm
A foodie profile + recipe that reminds us why food is love.
A couple of years ago, Lena Diaz returned to the land and livestock where whole animal butchery began. As the Head Butcher of 8 Hands Farm in Cutchogue, New York; Lena breaks down beef, chicken, pork and lamb daily for the farm’s butcher case and manages meaty market offerings like succulent sausages and stunning charcuterie made in house.
Before 8 Hands, Lena was the head butcher and fishmonger of Greene Grape Provisions and affectionately became known as “The Meat Mayor of Brooklyn.” For over nine years, she garnered a loyal following thanks to her cooking advice, encyclopedic knowledge of meats, and popular beef tallow candles. Lena has contributed to Bon Appétit as a whole animal butchery expert and is active in her community as a Spanish translator for a nonprofit aiding local farm workers on Long Island. Scroll down to watch Lena in action in her most popular Bon App video!
What are you cooking in the kitchen these days?
A lot of Cuban food. A lot of beans. There are codes with beans. Black beans in Cuban culture are always vegetarian. They never have meat. The pinto and kidney beans – we always put meat and pumpkin into it. White beans and lentils, we usually add a sausage to it, like a chorizo. But not pork bones like you would with the pinto or the red beans.
I’ve been cooking a lot with yuca, too. Making a lot of yuca with mojo (recipe below!). I grew up eating a lot of frozen yuca. Now I just buy it, peel it, and cut it myself at home – which is fun!
What five ingredients must you always have in your kitchen?
Is salt an ingredient? Salt, garlic, onion, olive oil. God, that's how many right there? There's so many things I want! I'm just gonna keep it simple and go with black pepper.
How does being Cuban-Chinese-American influence your cooking today?
I'm not afraid to taste anything, I grew up eating everything – like you, you know, being Korean Komerican. I was raised by a Cuban grandmother and a Chinese grandmother, and by great-grandmothers on both sides. They were always cooking.
You could take me out [when I was young] and I would try everything. Like in Chinese cuisine, there's this thing called bird's nest – which is basically bird regurgitation. I would try stuff like that – like fungus that looks like black hair. I don't know if that's because I grew up with two very different cuisines?
I am not a chef by any means, but I feel very comfortable in the kitchen and putting flavors together.
Who is your biggest foodie influence?
Nora Singley. She taught me a lot about food. We taught each other a lot about food. She was in my kitchen all of the time and no matter how many TV programs she worked on that I watched, I was able to actually cook with her, watch her cook, or eat her creation.
What would you choose as your last meal?
The last time [I was asked this question] I was really into steak tartare. I was eating so much steak tartare that I thought steak tartare had to be it. Now, I don't know. It’s gonna be a bunch of things. Like, I love a good steamed lobster with some butter sauce on the side. But then I love salads. God, I don't know. I don’t know what to tell you. I love everything! I love a good clean pasta too, like a cacio e pepe, something simple. Or like a bucatini. Maybe it’s just a salad. Like a big fennel salad. Or I love a raw artichoke salad. This is such a hard question! A cheeseburger with bleu cheese and raw onion? Medium rare? I could do that, too. I don't know what to tell you…
This interview was recorded, transcribed and edited for length and clarity.
Lena’s Recipe: Yuca con Mojo Serves 12 For the yuca: 3 lbs yuca, frozen (or fresh, peeled and cut into large chunks) Water Salt For the mojo: Olive oil 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced 8 garlic cloves, minced 2 oranges, cut in half with seeds removed 2-3 limes, cut in half with seeds removed Salt to taste Method: Step 1. Boil the yuca. Add yuca to a large pot and add water to cover. Generously add salt to make a very salty water. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then turn down the heat to simmer yuca until it is very soft and the water becomes murky. Step 2. Make the mojo. While the yuca is boiling, prepare the mojo. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into a pan. Add the garlic and sliced onions, cook until translucent. Squeeze the juice from orange and lime halves directly into the pot in equal parts, until you've made about 1 1/2 cups of juice. Turn off the heat so the juice does not cook off and evaporate. Mix the juice, onions, and garlic together. Add salt to taste. Step 3. Plate the yuca and top with mojo. When the yuca is fully cooked to desired softness, take out of the pot and arrange on a platter. Pour the mojo all over the yuca. Enjoy!
A Dollop of Fun: Pro Butcher Cuts 7 Steaks Not Sold in Supermarkets.
While living in Brooklyn, Lena befriended the test kitchen folks at Bon Appétit and contributed several delicious videos on all things whole animal butchery. I love this popular video because it showcases Lena’s status as a culinary goddess and her generosity in sharing what’s really worth getting at the cold case without breaking the bank. She credits her breadth of culinary knowledge to her immigrant family matriarchs — who knew how to make cheap cuts of meat taste amazing and how not to mess up cooking an amazing piece of meat.
Love, Sarah
