During the holidays, the traditional recipes are, of course, the most time consuming and labor intensive. But the outcome is well worth the trouble!
Pasteles
(pa-ste-les)

(makes 36)

Filling:

A-2 pounds lean pork meat, without bone
6 tablespoons jugo de naranja agria (sour orange juice)

B-Crush and mix in a mortar:
4 sweet chili peppers, seeded
4 fresh culantro leaves
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons whole dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt

C-Cube finely:
1 pound lean cured ham
1 green pepper, seeded
1 onion peeled

D-1 1/2 cups seeded raisins

E-1 can (1 pound) garbanzos (Chick-peas), liquid included
1 cup water

F-24 olives, stuffed with pimientos, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons capers
6 tablespoons Achiote Coloring (cook anais seed in 1 cup vegetable oil)

  1. Wash and dry pork meat rapidly and cut into very small cubes. Mix meat cubes with the sour orange juice.

  2. Add ingredients included in B to meat.

  3. Add ingredients included in C and the seeded raisins. Mix together well.

  4. In a saucepan, bring to boil ingredients included in E. Drain the liquid over the meat mixture. Remove skins from chick-peas and add chick-peas to the meat mixture.

  5. Add olives and capers.

  6. Add ingredients included in F, mix well, cover, and set in regrigerator until the masa is ready.

Masa (Paste)

A-4 pounds white yautia, peeled
4 pounds yellow yautia, peeled
15 green bananas, peeled and rinsed in salted water
2 cups lukewarm milk

B-1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) Achiote Coloring
2 1/2 tablespoons salt

  1. Wash, drain and grate the yautias and bananas. Crush gradually in a mortar yautias and bananas. Mix in a bowl with lukewarm milk to make a smooth paste. (If using an electric blender, crush gradually yautias and bananas with lukewarm milk. Set in a bowl.)

  2. Add the Achiote Coloring and salt, mix well, cover, and set aside to make the pasteles.

To Shape and Cook the Pasteles

  1. Use 20 bundles of plaintain leaves. They should be long and wide.

  2. With a knife, remove the central ridge to give greater flexibility to the leaves. Divide leaves into pieces, about 12 inches square. Wash and cleen leaves with a damp cloth.

  3. Place 3 tablespoons of the masa on a leaf and spread it out so thinly, that it is almost transparent.

  4. Place 3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the masa.

  5. Fold the leaf one half over the other to make a top and bottom layer of plaintain leaf and enclose the contents in it. Fold it over once more.

  6. Fold the right and left ends of the leaf toward the center.

  7. Wrap in a second leaf placed on the diagonal.

  8. Tie the pasteles together, in pairs, with a string, placing folded edges facing each other.

  9. In a large vessel, bring to a boil 5 quarts water with 3 1/2 tablespoons salt. Add 12 pasteles and boil, covered, for 1 hour. Halfway, turn over pasteles. When cooking period is finished, remove pasteles from the water at once. Repeat process with rest of pasteles

Note: Parchment cooking paper may be used in place of plaintain leaves.

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