The Making of "Pasteles"
This recipe comes from Clare Diaz from Mohegan Lake
Yields 15 pasteles
Indredients for “Masa” or Dough
- 1.5 lbs of Yautia (Taro Root)
- 3 lbs of Green Bananas,,,,must be green
- 1 large potatoes - idaho is good
- 1green plantain ….must be green
- Milk
- Liquid from stuffing
- Achiote Oil
- a large roll of Parchment Paper
- Plaintain leaves…found at 116th and Park Avenue “Spanish Market”
- Role of String
- Loads of friends and family
- One hugh kitchen table
- Don't forget the hand grater!
For the stuffing:
- ¾ lb Pernil (diced) seasoned with Adobo, the night before Cooking ham ½ cup diced onion
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- ½ cubanelle pepper chopped
- 3 cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp of oregano leaves
- 1 small can of tomato sauce
- ½ cup Light green pepper (Italian frying pepper or cubanelle pepper)
- 2 tablespoons of “achiote” oil
- 1/3 cup of olives with pimento chopped (optional) ½ can garbanzo beans (optional
- Achiote Oil
- 1 container of achiote seeds
- 1 cup of Crisco Lard
Making the Achiote Oil:
Place lard in a small sauce pan and add 3 tablespoons of achiote seeds. When the oil turns bright red remove achiote oil and let cool. After it cools, strain the oil to separate the seeds from the oil. Discard seeds. Set achiote oil aside for later.
The making of “Pasteles” has been a wonderful tradition in my family ever since I can remember. Every year around November, we call all our family members and inform everyone when and where the pasteles are going to be made. Everyone in the family is assigned an ingredient. And nobody better show up without their handy, dandy grater. The making of pastels it is a weekend event. It is a great time for the adults and children as well. It is very festive and uplifting time.
The men as well as the women work along aside each other making the pasteles and there is always the head chef or head matriarch in the family who is telling everybody what to do and tasting everything. The children are running “a muck” around the house. We usually let them and at about dinner time, they are ready for some food and we put on a movie and the next thing you know they are all asleep…..silence YES!
The kitchen table is covered to protect it and the peeling of the various yams begins. As the peeling begins the yams are placed in a huge pot filled with water so the yams don't turn color. A large boiling pot water is ready for green bananas. The bananas are added for just a few minutes, when the peel turns black, its time to remove them. The peel then comes off very easy. Once all the yams are peeled. The hand grinding begins. There is usally one huge pot in the middle where everyone transfers the yams they have grinded. Once all the yams are grinded. About ½ cup to 1 cup of hot milk is added the dough.
Then dough is needed by hand by the head matriarch, achiote oil is added to get the desired color. The dough is then placed in refrigerator for a couple hours, while the stuffing is prepared and the table is cleared to prepare for the next step in the process.
The Stuffing:
Two tablespoons of achiote is added to the a large pot and the cubed ham is added. You let that brown a little and added the onions, pepper, garlic, cilantro, oregano, olives and tomato sauce garbanzos are added sauté again, then add pork and sauté until the pork loses its pink color, add about 1 cup of water and bring to boil, then lower and cover and let cook for about one hour.
Hint: The night before you cook the pork you season the pork with adobo seasoning overnight.
After this is done remove the dough from the refrigerator and add 1 cup of the liquid from the stew to the dough for flavor and need the dough once again.
Preparing the plaintain leaves: It is best wash the leaves and cut them in 3 x 6 inches to place in each parchment paper. And run each above the fire to make them more pliable. This is optional. The leaves give the pasteles the island flavor. We do this for our pasteles.
Preparing the Pasteles:
The stuffing and the dough is placed in the middle of the kitchen table.
Everyone assembles around the table and the assembly line begins!.
1. The leaf is placed first on the parchment paper,
2. Then big spponful of dough is added on top of the leaf, then the parchment paper is passed to the next person.
3. The next person makes a little well in the dough and adds the stuffing and covers the stuffing with the dough, then parchment paper is passed to the next person
4. The next person is the expert folder of the parchment paper and passes it to the next person.
5. The next person is the expert in tying the pasteles ..two at time.
And this continues until all the pasteles are done. When the pasteles are done.
The pasteles are then frozen for eating on Thanksgiving day. But the crew gets to sample at least a few. The recipe above is just for 15 pasteles. We usually make about 60 pasteles.
To cook the pasteles you boil water add a little salt and add the frozen pasteles (tyed with the parchment paper and string) and let boil for 30 minutes. Then the pasteles are removed the string cut and the parchment paper opened very carefully without burning your fingers and the pastel should slide right off the parchment paper unto your plate, like a dumpling. The pastel is enjoyed with rice and pigeon peas, turkey, roast pork, potato salad, had, lasagna etc, etc. etc.
Worry about going on a diet in January!!!! |
