An Oca Tale
James Waddick (Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:26:13 PST)

Dear Friends,

As an admitted "foodie", one of this list's CA members took
pity on my request and sent me a pound of fresh, in season, Oca,
Oxalis tuberosa. This is a tuberous vegetable domesticated by the
Incans and other highland peoples of the Andes in South America. The
only edible member of the genus, a favorite of some of this list
growers. There are hundreds of edible varieties. The tubers were
about 1/2 deep pink and bumpy, while the other half was medium yellow
and smooth. They reminded me of fingerling potatoes in size and
shape. I started with one pound and took out 2 medium tubers of each
color to pot up - out of curiosity.

After reading about handling, storage and preparation of this
tuber, I decided to store them in the refrigerator vegetable drawer
in a sealed zip-loc plastic bag. Theoretically this would improve the
flavor and make the tubers sweeter in flavor. After 5 weeks in the
fridge, today I took them out. Peeling them was a bit of a pain -
they are small, the skin especially of the bumpy red variety came off
in many small pieces and it took both vegetable peeler and paring
knife to get a final 'product'.

I heated a small amount of Olive Oil (EVOO) and sliced the
Oca diagonally into about 1/4 inch slices and into the medium hot
oil. I sprinkled salt, pepper and some granulated garlic. They
browned quickly and became slightly crispy around the edges. I was
surprised how quickly they became soft. I thought they might take as
long as similar size potato slices, but these were much quicker.
They shrank a fair amount as they cooked.

They were served hot along with baked chicken breast and left
over vegetable: Green Bean casserole (from T-Day), sauteed Kohlrabi
and whole yellow Hominy. There were two diners, my companion and
myself.

The texture was very similar to a soft fried potato, but the
flavor was very sweet and mild. No hint of oxalic acid (as expected)
and no bitterness. Both of us thought they had excellent texture and
flavor, and were delicious.

We both said 'More Oca !' .

These were definitely a tasty treat if only more accessible
to my midwest wishes. I hope more people will try them.

Thanks Liz. Best Jim W.

--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
Summer 100F +