Puerto Rican Pasteles Recipe 45

PASTELES

Steps:

• Make the sofrito: Place the chiles, bell peppers, onions, culantro, cilantro, garlic and pimentos in a blender and process until the mixture is fully puréed, scraping the sides of the blender as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use: This can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.
• Make the masa: Peel the bananas and plantains: Prepare a mixing bowl or large pot with water. Cut off the ends of the fruits, then use a knife to score and peel off the skin. Place the bananas in the bowl of water as you go so they don't discolor. (The skins can stain, so be careful as you handle them, or wear plastic gloves.) Remove the skin of the yautia with a vegetable peeler and add it to the water.
• Remove the bananas, plantains and yautia from the water and process until smooth: First, in a food processor fitted with the grating disc, shred each ingredient separately, dumping them into a large bowl as you go. Mix the ingredients together in the bowl, switch to the blade fitting, and process the mixture in batches until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the work bowl as necessary. The end result should look soft and fluffy like a purée. (Alternatively, you can grate everything by hand on the smallest holes of a box grater.) Transfer the masa to a large mixing bowl. At this point it can be refrigerated for a few hours, covered, while you prepare the pork, or frozen for up to 3 months.
• Prepare the pork: Cut the pork into small, rough chunks about 1 inch long by 1/2 inch wide, trimming away excess tough fat as you go. Place the pork pieces in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the reserved sofrito, making sure all of the pork cubes are coated. Let the pork cook, stirring almost constantly, until it starts to release some liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the olive oil and let it cook for a minute or two, then stir in the seasoning packet.
• Let the pork cook for another minute or two, then stir in the olives and their brine, the tomato sauce and the chicken stock or water, and a pinch of salt. Let the liquid come up to a simmer, then cover the pot and reduce the heat. Let the pork cook at a simmer for 30 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through, stirring occasionally. There should be plenty of liquid in the pot at all times, so the mixture looks like soup, not stew. If it looks dry, add stock or water as needed.
• While the pork cooks, make the annatto oil: In a small saucepan, heat the oil and the annatto seeds over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the oil begins to bubble. Lower the heat slightly and let the seeds cook in the oil until the liquid turns a bright pink-red. Turn off the heat and let the seeds sit in the oil until it cools. Strain the oil through a sieve or slotted spoon into a small mixing bowl, discarding the seeds. Set the bowl aside. (If the liquid does not immediately begin to turn red, your annatto seeds are too old.)
• When the pork is done, taste for seasoning, and add more salt if desired, then turn off the heat. Take 2 to 3 cups of the liquid from the pork and stir it into the masa until it is the consistency of thick oatmeal, soft but spreadable. You will still need about 2 to 3 cups of liquid to make the pasteles, so if your pot looks dry at this point, stir in a little water or stock so that you still have plenty of liquid, and taste for seasoning again.
• On a large, clean work surface, set up your pastel-making station: You will need the banana leaves, parchment paper, string, the annatto oil, the pork and its liquid, and the masa. To make each pastel, start with a piece of parchment paper in front of you, one long side closest to you. Use a soup spoon or a pastry brush to paint a very thin smear of annatto oil on the parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch border on the top and bottom and 4 inches on the sides. (This does not have to be perfect: It's just to keep the banana leaf from sticking.) Lay the banana leaf down on top of the oil, long side closest to you. Paint the banana leaf very lightly with the annatto oil. Spread 1/2 cup of masa on top of the banana leaf about 3/4 to 1/2 inch thick. The masa does not have to be a perfect shape: It can overlap the leaf in places and does not have to cover it completely.
• Spoon a scant 1/4 cup of pork pieces along the length of the masa in a straight line. Your goal is really a line of pork chunks along the center of the masa, so that each bite of pastel has a bite of pork. Add 2 olives to the masa, one near each end. Use a spoon to drizzle on a little more liquid as needed so that most of the masa is covered by a very thin layer of liquid. Don't overdo it: About a tablespoon or so of liquid per pastel is about right.
• To form the pastel, fold the parchment paper in half, from the bottom up, over the masa and filling so the 2 long edges meet. Fold those edges down to meet the edge of the pastel farthest from you. Press the paper down and crease the top edge. Fold the parchment in half again lengthwise from the top down, so it covers the pastel. You now have a long thin pastel wrapped in a tube of parchment, with multiple layers of paper on top. (This needn't be exact, as long as the paper forms a neat little package.)
• Working carefully, use the side of your hand to press and slide the masa on either side of the package into the center to give it a neat edge. Fold in 1 inch of the paper on the left and right sides to create small hems. Then fold both sides over the pastel. (If you have a few leaks, it's O.K.)
• Set this pastel aside, flaps facing downward, while you make its partner: Repeat the process above to make a second pastel.
• When you have 2 pasteles, stack them together so they line up, flaps facing inward. Use 1 piece of string to tie the pasteles together the same way you would a package, looping the string once across the long way and at least once across the short way. Make sure the string is tight and the pasteles are tightly tied together. Repeat this process with the remaining pairs of pasteles. At this point they can be frozen for several months, refrigerated for a day or two, or cooked and eaten immediately.
• To cook them, bring a large pot (or a few pots) of salted water to a boil and add the pasteles, either fresh or frozen, in a single layer. Let cook for 1 hour, or an hour and 10 minutes or so if they are frozen. Repeat with the remaining pasteles, then unwrap and serve right away.

PASTELES WITH YUCA AND PLANTAINS

Steps:

• Combine yuca, green plantains, yautia, and milk in a blender; puree into a thick paste the consistency of oatmeal.
• Combine lard and achiote seeds in a saucepan over medium-low heat; heat until lard is melted, and reddish in color, about 5 minutes. Strain out achiote seeds. Mix half of the lard into the yuca paste.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and green bell pepper; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes. Add pork, ham, garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, olives, capers, orange juice, cilantro, oregano, salt, and garlic; cook and stir until pork is no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Mix 2/3 of the remaining lard into the pork mixture.
• Smear each plantain leaf with a small amount of remaining lard. Place a large spoonful of the yuca paste in the center of each one; top with a scoop of the pork mixture. Fold up the sides of each leaf to enclose the filling and create a rectangular pastel.
• Stack 2 pasteles and tie them together with kitchen string. Repeat with remaining pasteles.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasteles. Cook until filling is tender, about 1 hour. Unwrap pasteles before serving.

AUTHENTIC PUERTO RICAN PASTELES

Steps:

• Use a boning knife to remove the bone from the pork shoulder. Set the bone aside to use later for making the ham stock. Next, use a chef's knife to remove the fat cap from the meat. Dice the fat and set it aside (or refrigerate it with bone). This will be rendered to create the stewed pork filling. Dice the pork shoulder into small chunks: in squares about 1/2" big.
• In a non-reactive mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the sofrito, the white wine vinegar, olive oil, sazón, adobo, oregano, and black pepper. Slice the onion in half. Grate one half of the onion into the bowl with the spices and vinegar. Reserve the other half to use in cooking the pork. Add the garlic to the bowl. Mix the marinade with a whisk until smooth.
• Add the diced meat to the bowl and toss it in the marinade to coat it thoroughly.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the meat to marinate for 4-12 hours in the refrigerator.
• To a small stock pot, add the reserved pork bone and the remaining half of the onion.Place the peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaves into the center of a cheesecloth square. Bring the four corners of the square to the center. Tie a 4" piece of butcher's twine around the top of the bundle to secure it.
• Tie one end of the string to the handle of the stock pot and put the spice bundle into the pot with the bone and the onion. Fill the pot with just enough cold water to cover the bone. Bring the water in the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Don't stir the broth as it boils.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the broth to simmer for 15-20 minutes. The broth will develop a gray, foamy scum on its surface. Use a wide spoon to skim the scum from the surface then discard it. Continue simmering the broth until the 15 minutes. Once the broth is done, leave it to cool on the stove for ten minutes.
• Once the broth has cooled slightly, use a ladle to pour the broth through a cheesecloth-lined funnel into mason jars. Cover and store the broth in the refrigerator or use it right away.
• About an hour before you plan to assemble your pasteles, cook the pork filling. Dice the remaining onion half. Heat a caldero over medium-low heat. Add the reserved pork fat to the caldero and let it slowly heat up along with the pot to render it. Once 2 tablespoons of oil have cooked off of the fat, remove the fat pieces with a slotted spoon (you can also just leave it in the pot).
• Increase the stove's temperature to medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and the remaining sofrito to the pot with the rendered fat and sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Next, add the marinated pork to the pot and brown it over medium-heat heat for 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato sauce, sliced olives, capers, and bay leaves. Bring the mixture up to a boil, then reduce the temperature to low. Cover the pot and allow the meat to simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until tender.
• Once tender, the pork filling can be used right away or refrigerated for up to 2 days in a covered container.
• Fill a large bowl with 6 cups of hot tap water. Stir in 1/4 cup of salt into the water. Use a chef's knife to cut off both ends of the bananas. Take the tip of your knife and make a slit down the back and front of each banana. Place the bananas into the salted water and leave the peel to soften while you prep the remaining root vegetables.
• Remove the tough rind from the calabaza. Cut the calabaza into 2-inch chunks and throw them into the bowl of saltwater with the bananas.Use a vegetable peeler to peel the yautía. Cut it in fourths, lengthwise. Add it to the bowl with the calabaza.Peel the batata and cut it in quarters lengthwise, as well. Add it to the bowl of saltwater. The peels of the bananas should be soft enough to remove by now. Peel each and return them to the bowl of water.
• Set up your food processor with the grater blade. Turn the machine on and add the bananas and root veggies you have soaking in the saltwater to shred them.
• Remove the grating blade and replace it with the processing blade.Add 1/4 of the shredded veggie mix to the food processor bowl. Puree the mix for 1-2 minutes. Stop the machine and scrape down the bowl.
• Puree the mix for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the masa resembles peanut butter. Scoop the masa out of the bowl and into a separate mixing bowl. Continue pureeing the remaining veggies in batches the same way.
• After pureeing the masa, use a large spoon to combine. The masa should be smooth- free of lumps- thick, and almost spongy. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of achiote oil to the masa in the bowl. The more oil you add, the more orange, and looser, your masa will be. Add 1/2 cup-1 cup of the ham broth to the masa to make it smoother.
• Cut the banana leaves into rectangles that measure 7 1/2-inches by 6-inches. Gather the rest of the components to make the pasteles: the pork filling, masa, any add-ins (red pepper slices and olives), and the achiote oil.You also need a pair of scissors, sheets of parchment paper, and butcher's twine cut in strings 40-inches long.
• Lay a banana leaf in the center of a parchment rectangle. Spread a tablespoon of the achiote oil onto banana leaf. Take a large spoonful, or 1/2-cup, of the masa and spread it on the leaf in an oval that leaves a 1-inch margin of banana leaf showing.
• Top the masa with a 1/4 cup of the pork filling, followed by tablespoon of the broth from the pork filling. Top the meat with two strips of red pepper and two olives.
• Bring the two long edges of the paper rectangle up to meet each other over the pastel. Once the edges are lined up, fold the paper over one inch. Now, fold the parchment over in half to form a band that's almost as wide as the pastel. Fold one-inch of paper on the short end of the bundle towards the pastel. Now, fold the "tail" or unfilled end of paper towards the center of the bundle. It should reach the center of the pastel. Repeat on the opposite side.
• Tie the pastel with a piece of twine in a cross pattern to keep the paper from opening in the pot.Next, bring a pot of heavily salted water to a rapid boil. Once the water's boiling, add your test pastel to the pot and boil it for 30-35 minutes. After cooking, remove it from the pot and unwrap it. Taste the pastel to see if it needs more adobo or salt. Adjust the seasoning in the masa to taste.Continue to assemble and wrap the pasteles.
• Once all of the pasteles have been assembled and wrapped, tie them in bundles of two. Stack two pasteles with the folded ends touching each other. Grab a length of twine. Hold the string's loop in one hand and two loose ends in the other.Slide the string under the stacked pasteles, making sure the bundle's short end sits right in the middle of the two strings.
• Bring the three fingers of the hand with the looped end up. Go through the loop with those fingers and grab the two strings in the other hand. Pull the two loose ends through the loop and towards the sides of the bundle. Flip the bundle over and bring the string's edges under the two strands on the backside (formed earlier by the loop). Tie the two loose ends in a knot. Continue tying until all of the bundles are secure.
• Refrigerate the pasteles after assembling and wrapping them. Pack them in a food gallon-size freezer storage bag in docenas (or bundles of 6) to make a dozen pasteles per bag. Freeze the pasteles for 6-8 months.
• Cook the pasteles straight from the freezer: bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add a 1/4-cup of salt to the water and allow it a few seconds to dissolve. Slide the bundles of frozen pasteles into the boiling water and boil them for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. If you're boiling fresh, unfrozen pasteles, you only need to cook them for 30-40 minutes.
• Once the pasteles are cooked, lift them from the pot using a kitchen fork or tongs and set them in a colander set inside the sink to drain a bit. Cut the strings off of the bundles. Cut both ends of the paper off before unwrapping the pastel and sliding it from the banana leaf onto a plate.
• Serve your Pasteles on their own, with Pernil, Arroz con Gandules, and potato salad, or with a side salad.

PASTELES DE MASA CON CERDO (PUERTO RICAN TARO ROOT & PLANTAIN PORK POCKETS)

Steps:

• Combine all filling ingredients in a pressure cooker. Set to cook for 30 minutes. Let it come back to pressure naturally without releasing it.
• Uncover and set to brown/simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool and store in airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Using the fine shredder blade on your food processor or a manual grater, grate the plantain, green bananas, yautia, and pumpkin. Depending on the size of your food processor you may have to work in batches.
• Change out the shredder blade for the chopping blade. Working in batches process the shredded vegetables until the fine and pasty.
• Add remaining masa ingredients and mix until well combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
• Heat 1 1/2 - 2 cups of vegetable oil, add 6 tbs of annatto seeds to the oil. Allow the seeds to simmer until the oil reaches a bright red color.
• Strain the seeds from the oil and discard the seeds. Allow the oil to cool and store in a sealed container until ready to use.
• Remove the ridge from the leaves. Cut the banana leaves into 12 x 12-inch squares and wash the banana leaves under warm running water.
• Working in batches microwave the banana leaves for 1.5 to 2 minutes, this helps make the leaf more flexible.
• Set up assembly station with masa mixture, filling, achiote oil, banana leaves, paper for pastels, and butchers twine.
• Stack the pastels paper and banana leaves, alternating them starting with the pastel paper. Spread 1 tsp of achiote oil on the banana leaf. Scoop 1/2 cup of the masa mixture onto the banana leave and spread out into a rectangle.
• Place 2 tablespoons of filling down the center and top with pimentos if you like. Using the banana leaf fold the masa over the filling.
• Bring the leaf ends together. Fold over twice to create a tight seal. Tuck the ends under, if the banana leaf splits a little don't stress we are going to fold it again in the paper. Do the same wrap and fold with the paper. If you use only pastel paper I recommend double wrapping.
• Tie the pastel with butchers twine like a present. At this point, you can boil them right away, or you can freeze them until ready to use. When ready to cook bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop in pasteles and boil for 45 minutes for fresh and 1 hour for frozen. They can also be cooked in the pressure cooker for 30 minutes with 1 cup of water.
• Using a pair of tongs pick the pastel out of the water by the string and place on a paper towel. Cut the string and gently unwrap. Enjoy!

PUERTO RICAN PASTELES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Brown the diced pork in olive oil in a large nonstick skillet.
• Add the sweet peppers, chopped onion, recaito, garlic, adobo, oregano, and bay leaf, stirring well. Cook until the pork is no longer pink inside. Remove the bay leaf from the mixture and set aside to cool.
• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large bowl, grate the peeled yautía and the green plantains (or cleaned and peeled yuca). Use disposable gloves, as uncooked plantains will stain your hands and kitchen towels.
• Blend the grated roots in a food processor until creamy.
• Place the masa over a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve for at least three hours so the excess moisture drips out.
• Once the masa is ready, stir in the garlic, recaito, salt, and enough of the achiote oil to moisten the dough and add a little color. You are now ready to assemble and wrap the pasteles.
• Prepare a work surface to assemble and wrap the pasteles. If you have friends helping you, set up an assembly line. Prepare 20 (10 x 5-inch) banana leaves, 20 (8 x 4-inch) rectangles of parchment paper, and 20 (18-inch) pieces of kitchen string.
• For each pastel, lay out a piece of parchment paper, topped with 1 piece of banana leaf. Brush achiote oil in a rectangular shape on the center of the banana leaf.
• Spread 1 1/2 to 2 spoonfuls of masa onto the center of the leaf.
• Add 1 spoonful of pork filling and top with another spoonful of masa.
• Bring the edges of the banana leaf over the top of the pork filling. Then repeat with the other side of the banana leaf so that the masa completely covers the top of the filling.
• Bring the edges of the banana leaf together and fold down over the top.
• Fold the edges of the banana leaf underneath the package.
• Bring the top and bottom edges of the parchment paper over the top and fold or roll down the edges to make a horizontal seam. Tuck the ends under.
• Tie with a string in both directions. At this point, you can freeze any pasteles you are not going to cook and eat right away. Place them in resealable bags, date, label, and freeze.
• Bring a stock pot of salted water to a boil. Place the pasteles in the water, making sure they are submerged. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
• Using tongs, remove the pasteles from the boiling water and place them on a plate. Carefully cut the string of each with kitchen scissors and very carefully open the banana leaves and parchment paper. Place the pastel on a serving plate.