Puerto Rican Pasteles
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 40
Ingredients
For the Pork Filling:
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 pounds ground pork
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 large sweet peppers (mixed colors), diced
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • ¼ cup sofrito
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons adobo seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons ground oregano
For the Masa
  • 8 pounds yucca, peeled and grated
  • 12 green plantains, peeled and grated
  • ¼ cup sofrito
  • ¼ cup achiote oil
  • 2 cups reserved drippings from the filling after draining
For Assembly
  • 40 8x10 inch banana leaf wrappers, heated on a skillet until pliable
  • 40 3-foot long pieces of kitchen twine
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat and add the ground pork; season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook until broken apart and no longer pink. Add the peppers, onions, softrito, garlic, adobo, and oregano and cover. Cook until the vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the filling mixture in a colander over a bowl. Reserve the drained juices to add to the masa mixture.
  2. Working in small batches, combine the grated yucca and plantains int he bowl of a food processor and pulse for 2-3 minutes to puree the mixture. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining yucca and plantains until it's all pureed.
  3. Combine the sofrito and achiote oil with the reserved drippings from the filling and pour over the masa - use your hands to work the seasonings into the masa.
  4. To assemble, place a banana leaf lengthwise in front of you. Add ½ cup of masa to the leaf (using a ½-cup ice cream scoop works well) and flatten into a rectangle in the center of the leave about 5 inches from side to side and 3 inches from top to bottom. Place ¼ cup of the filling over the masa, and then roll the banana leave up to encase the pastele. Tuck the two ends underneath then truss with kitchen twine.
  5. Pasteles can either be cooked right away or frozen until needed. When you are ready to cook them, bring a stock pot of salted water to a boil. Place the pasteles in the water, making sure they are submerged, then reduce the heat and simmer for an hour.
Recipe by Cooking With Michele® at https://cookingwithmichele.com/2020/04/puerto-rican-pasteles/