Puerto Rican Pasteles
The Christmas season in Puerto Rico is blessed with balmy weather and clear skies. There is nothing like dining under the shade of a gourd tree on Christmas Eve, savoring every morsel of the earthy tamales called pasteles and adobo-flavored pork while looking at the sea.
Ingredients
For the Seasoning Base (Recado)
- 6 tomate large, (about 3 pounds), coarsely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper green, (about 6 ounces), cored, seeded, deveined, and coarsely chopped
- 1 yellow onion (about 8 ounces), coarsely chopped
- 8 cloves garlic peeled
- 20 black pepper Caribbean sweet peppers (ajíes dulces), seeded and cut in half
- 1/2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/4 cups cilantro (leaves) coarsely chopped cilantro
- 2 culantro broad-leaf culantro leaves
- 1 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp ground oregano
For the Cooking Sauce (Sofrito)
- 1/4 cups olive oil achiote-infused extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces bacon slab bacon, achiote-infused extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder pork shoulder or butt, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1/4 cups chicken stock
For the Masa
- 1/3 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 pounds malanga peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (substitute yuca root)
- 1 1/2 banana green, peeled and thickly sliced
- 1/2 plantain green plantain, peeled (see Cooks' notes) and thickly sliced
- 8 ounces pumpkin cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cups olive oil achiote-infused extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 to 1 tsp salt or to taste
For the Wrappers
- 25 plantain 12-inch plantain leaf squares (4 to 5 packages; see Cooks' notes for how to prepare)
- 1/4 cups olive oil achiote-infused extra-virgin olive oil
- 25 kitchen twine 42-inch pieces of kitchen twine
For the Garnishes
- 1/3 cups raisins dark
- 1 chickpeas 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 2 red bell pepper roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and cut into 1/4" strips
- 50 olives pimiento-stuffed olives, cut in half
Instructions
Making the Recado
- 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.
Making the Sofrito
- 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.
- 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.
Making the Masa
- 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.
Wrapping the Tamales
- 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.
Cooking the Tamales
- Using two steamers (or working in batches), steam for about 1 hour (see Cooks' notes).
Notes
Serving
Most people like them with a little sauce. Ajilimójili is a good choice. Preparing Plantains
To peel them before cooking, cut off the tips with a small sharp knife. Cut crosswise into 2 or 3 chunks. Make 2 or 3 lengthwise incisions in each, following the ridges that run down the fruit. Trying to bruise the flesh as little as possible, pull the skin away from the flesh with a table knife, then work it free with your fingertips. Trim off any underskin. Plantain Leaf Wrappers
To prepare, defrost them in the refrigerator overnight or in warm water for about 20 minutes. Wipe both sides clean with a damp cloth and pat dry with paper towels. Working on a cutting board, use a ruler and knife to measure and cut the leaves into squares.
Singe the squares by running each side over a gas flame or an electric burner set on high for a few seconds. You will notice that the leaf immediately becomes supple and its outer side shinier. If any leaves are torn, just overlap a couple of them when wrapping the dough.
Roasting Peppers
Heat a comal or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Place the whole peppers on the hot surface and roast, turning occasionally with tongs, until they are blackened on all sides. This may take up to 15 minutes for bell peppers. Remove from the heat and place in a paper or plastic bag to "sweat" for a few minutes (this helps loosen the skin).
When they are slightly cooled, peel the charred skin from the roasted flesh. Scrape and pick off the black bits a little at a time; don't rinse. Core and seed the peppers before proceeding with the recipe. The Pastel Wrap
Fold down the top edge a little more than halfway, pressing lightly, then unfold. Fold up and press the bottom edge in the same way; unfold. The masa will now completely enclose the filling.
Now fold down the top half again a little more than halfway toward you. Hold it in place while you bring up the bottom edge to make a seam about 1/2 inch from the folded side. Holding the seam closed, fold back the open right and left ends of the packet into flaps slightly overlapping under the seamless side.
Steaming Tamales
To steam tamales, pour water into the steamer pot, place the steamer basket in the pot (above the water), and arrange the tamales in the basket. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and steam the tamales until they are set. The timing depends on the size and composition of the tamales, but most take about 1 hour. Be sure to check the water level in the pot from time to time and replenish with boiling water as necessary
Most people like them with a little sauce. Ajilimójili is a good choice. Preparing Plantains
To peel them before cooking, cut off the tips with a small sharp knife. Cut crosswise into 2 or 3 chunks. Make 2 or 3 lengthwise incisions in each, following the ridges that run down the fruit. Trying to bruise the flesh as little as possible, pull the skin away from the flesh with a table knife, then work it free with your fingertips. Trim off any underskin. Plantain Leaf Wrappers
To prepare, defrost them in the refrigerator overnight or in warm water for about 20 minutes. Wipe both sides clean with a damp cloth and pat dry with paper towels. Working on a cutting board, use a ruler and knife to measure and cut the leaves into squares.
Singe the squares by running each side over a gas flame or an electric burner set on high for a few seconds. You will notice that the leaf immediately becomes supple and its outer side shinier. If any leaves are torn, just overlap a couple of them when wrapping the dough.
Roasting Peppers
Heat a comal or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Place the whole peppers on the hot surface and roast, turning occasionally with tongs, until they are blackened on all sides. This may take up to 15 minutes for bell peppers. Remove from the heat and place in a paper or plastic bag to "sweat" for a few minutes (this helps loosen the skin).
When they are slightly cooled, peel the charred skin from the roasted flesh. Scrape and pick off the black bits a little at a time; don't rinse. Core and seed the peppers before proceeding with the recipe. The Pastel Wrap
Fold down the top edge a little more than halfway, pressing lightly, then unfold. Fold up and press the bottom edge in the same way; unfold. The masa will now completely enclose the filling.
Now fold down the top half again a little more than halfway toward you. Hold it in place while you bring up the bottom edge to make a seam about 1/2 inch from the folded side. Holding the seam closed, fold back the open right and left ends of the packet into flaps slightly overlapping under the seamless side.
Steaming Tamales
To steam tamales, pour water into the steamer pot, place the steamer basket in the pot (above the water), and arrange the tamales in the basket. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and steam the tamales until they are set. The timing depends on the size and composition of the tamales, but most take about 1 hour. Be sure to check the water level in the pot from time to time and replenish with boiling water as necessary
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