- Average
- Average budget
Ingredients
- FILLING:
- 3 1/2 lbs. pork shoulder
- 3 1/2 tbsp. sofrito
- 2 1/2 cup water
- 1 envelope of sazon con achiote
- 2 tablespoons "achiote" oil
- 3 oz. chopped ham
- 4 ajíes dulces chopped
- 3 recao leaves chopped (may use cilantro instead)
- 1 8oz. can tomato sauce
- ½ cup cooking olives with pimento, chopped
- 1 6oz. can chopped pimentos
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. oregano
- MASA:
- 2 lbs. yautía
- 3 lbs. guineos verdes (small green bananas)
- 1 lbs. potatoes
- 1 lb. pumpkin (Calabaza)
- 1 green plantain
- 1 small can evaporated milk
- ¼ cup achiote oil
- salt
- 1 cup liquid from pork stuffing pan
- WRAPPING:
- 1 package parchment wraps
- 10 banana leaves
- cooking twine
- 1 cup annato oil
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare meat:
Cut the pork into small pieces.
Place the pork, ham in a large pot and cook 5 minutes.
Step 2
Add sofrito, tomato sauce, water, salt, black pepper and sazon, ajies dulces, recao, olives and pimentos to the meat.
Step 3
Bring to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes.
Step 4
Reserve 1 cup of the liquid from the pot aside for the masa.
Step 5
MASA:
Peel and cut all of the Rican roots and veggies into small pieces and place them into a large pot with cold water and salt.
Step 6
Set your food processor to process on high speed.
Have a large bowl or pot ready to place the processed masa and have the reserved 1 cup of the pork stuffing sauce near by too.
Fill the food processor half way with Rican root and veggie pieces.
Step 7
Pour a little of the sauce into the processor, cover and process until it resembles an oatmeal consistency.
Step 8
Keep adding more pieces through the processor slot and keep processing until all of the roots and vegetables are processed.
Add a bit of pork juice and evaporated milk to create desired texture.
Step 9
When everything is processed, place into a large bowl or pot.
Add the salt, the 6 tablespoons of annatto oil and what's left of the cup of pork stuffing sauce to the masa and mix everything well.
Step 10
ASSEMBLE:
Place a piece of banana leave in the center of a piece of parchment paper.
Place about 1/2 teaspoon of annatto oil in the center of the banana leaf and smear it around.
Using a large cooking spoon, place about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the masa in the center of the banana leave and smear it around in a circular motion.
Place a good helping of the pork stuffing with a little sauce in the center.
Wrap parchment tightly and secure with twine.
Freeze any you are not cooking immediately.
Makes about 24 pasteles
TO COOK:
Boil in salted water for 1 hour