Puerto Rican Pasteles

Prep: 240 mins

Cook: 150 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

Sometime during the beginning of November in Puerto Rico and around the diaspora, families come together and make a party out of making pasteles, tender and savory masa stuffed with stewed pork and wrapped in a banana leaf. Typically the children are in charge of grating the root vegetables, while the adults assemble. According to Puerto Rican food historian Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra, the origins of pasteles are not easily traced, but there are African roots in relation to wrapping them in banana leaves. In his book, Eating Puerto Rico, he states, “There is no single accepted way of making pastel.” Each family makes pasteles their own way, and what’s important is coming together and spending quality time with one another around the holidays.

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons annatto seeds
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons annatto oil (recipe above)
2 tablespoons fresh sofrito or thawed frozen sofrito
2 pounds boneless pork butt or pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup stuffed Spanish manzanilla olives (no pits), halved
5 to 6 pounds green bananas (guineos, 2 bunches), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 to 3 pounds yautia, malanga, or cocoyam, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 pounds kabocha squash (calabaza, about 1/2 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium green plantain (6 to 10 ounces), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons annatto oil (recipe above)
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive brine (from the stuffed Spanish olives in the filling)
Kosher salt
16 ounces frozen banana leaves, thawed
22 (12x18-inch) parchment paper sheets, or pastele paper
Annatto oil (recipe above)
22 thin slivers jarred roasted red peppers
22 (16-inch) pieces kitchen twine
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Instructions

Assemble the pasteles one at a time: Arrange a 12x18-inch sheet of parchment paper on a work surface with a long side closer to you. Place a banana leaf on the parchment with a long side closer to you. Spread or brush about 1 teaspoon of the annatto oil onto the banana leaf into a 4x5-inch rectangle with a long side closer to you. Scoop about 1/2 cup of the masa onto the annatto oil and spread into a 3 1/2 x 6-inch rectangle with a long side closer to you. Use a slotted spoon to scoop up 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pork filling, then place down the center of the masa. Top the filling with a thin slice of roasted red pepper.Lift the top of the banana leaf up and over the filling with one hand, then hold a flexible spatula in the other hand and use it to nudge the masa over the filling. Place the top of the leaf back down. Repeat with lifting up the bottom of the banana leaf over the filling and nudging the masa. Use the spatula to make sure the masa covers the filling.Lift the bottom and top of the banana leaf up at the same time to meet in the middle over the pastele, then press them together and fold vertically down to seal in the pastele. Fold the two open ends underneath the pastele. The pastele should now be neatly wrapped up in the banana leaf.Make sure the pastele is in the center of the parchment. Repeat wrapping the pastele in parchment like you did in the banana leaf. Everything should now be neatly wrapped up in parchment.Wrap a 16-inch long piece of kitchen twine around the pastele both the long and short way (like putting ribbon on a gift), then tie a knot to hold the twine in place. Repeat assembling the remaining pasteles.Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons kosher salt until dissolved. Add the pasteles and boil for 45 minutes. Transfer to a strainer and drain well (hot water will be in the packages). To serve, cut and remove the kitchen twine, then unwrap and remove the parchment. Unwrap by opening up the banana leaf before eating (do not eat the leaf).