Pasteles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pasteles, pronounced Paa-TEL-le, is a traditional Puerto Rican dish similar to a tamale. There are pasteles de masa, pasteles de yuca (cassava) and pasteles de arroz (rice).
The dough or masa is made of a combination of grated green banana, green plantain, taro and pumpkin. Or of cassava or rice. The vegetables have to be peeled and grated on the finest holes of a cheese grater by hand or grated with the finest grating plate of a food processor. The masa is then seasoned with liquid from the meat mixture and annato oil, placed in a piece of banana leaf with a sheet of parchment paper under it. It is then stuffed with stewed meat usually pork or chicken, folded, tied then boiled for an extended period of time.
Assembling pasteles involves:
1. A large sheet of parchment paper
2. A strip of banana leaf that has been heated over an open flame to make it supple
3. A little annato oil on the leaf
4. Masa (dough)
5. Seasoned meat
6. One or two olives, a few raisins, a few chickpeas, a piece of roasted red pepper.
The paper is then folded and tied with kitchen string to form packets.
Once made, pasteles can either be cooked in boiling water or frozen for later use. Because they are so labor intensive, dominican families typically make anywhere from 50-200+ in one sitting, especially around the Christmas holidays. They are usually served with rice and pigeon peas (arroz con gandules), roasted pork, and other holiday foods.
