Puerto Rican Pasteles (Pasteles Puertorriqueños)
Traditional Puerto Rican pasteles made with a masa of malanga, green bananas, and plantains, filled with seasoned pork and garnished with raisins, chickpeas, red peppers, and olives. These delicious tamale-like parcels are wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed to perfection.
Ingredients
- •6 large tomatoes
- •1 medium green bell pepper
- •1 medium yellow onion
- •8 cloves garlic
- •20 whole Caribbean sweet peppers
- •½ cup tomato sauce
- •¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- •2 leaves broad-leaf culantro
- •1½ tablespoons cider vinegar
- •1 teaspoon dried oregano
- •¼ cup achiote-infused extra-virgin olive oil
- •8 ounces slab bacon
- •1½ pounds boneless pork shoulder
- •¼ cup chicken broth
- •⅓ cup whole milk
- •1½ pounds malanga
- •1½ pounds green bananas
- •½ whole green plantain
- •¼ cup achiote-infused extra-virgin olive oil
- •½ teaspoon salt
- •25 squares plantain leaf squares
- •25 pieces kitchen twine
- •⅓ cup dark raisins
- •15 ounces chickpeas
- •2 medium red bell peppers
- •roasted
- •peeled
- •cored
- •seeded
- •strips
- •50 whole pimiento-stuffed olives
- •cut in half
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. Set aside. DO AHEAD: You can make the seasoning base (recado) the day before.
10 min
- 2.
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pork and cook, stirring, until it begins to release its fat, about 15 minutes.
18 min
- 3.
Stir in the recado, reduce the heat to low, and cook, covered, for about 50 minutes, or until the pork is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Add some chicken broth if the sauce thickens too much during cooking. When the meat is done, transfer it to a plate with a slotted spoon. Set the sauce aside. DO AHEAD: You can make the sofrito the day before.
50 min
- 4.
Working in 2 or 3 batches, puree the milk, malanga, green bananas, green plantain, and calabaza in a blender or food processor and pour into a large bowl. Add the oil and salt and mix well to color the masa evenly. Stir in the reserved sauce. Taste for seasoning and set aside.
20 min
- 5.
Place one plantain leaf square on a work surface with the veins perpendicular to you. Brush generously with achiote oil. Place 3 heaping tablespoons of masa in the center of the leaf and spread into a 6-inch square, leaving a 3-inch margin on all sides. Place 3 tablespoons of the diced pork on top, forming a rectangle. Garnish with 4 raisins, 4 chickpeas, a strip of red pepper, and 4 olive halves. Tie the tamal following the instructions for the pastel wrap (see Cooks' notes). Repeat with the remaining wrappers and ingredients. DO AHEAD: You can prepare the plantain leaves the day before.
60 min
- 6.
Using two steamers (or working in batches), steam for about 1 hour (see Cooks' notes).
60 min
