Pasteles... A Savory Spanish Dish

Emily Rodriguez is a mother of 3 boys. She was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. She works full time while attending FDU part time. Emily enjoys cooking but fines a ease and a relaxation in making homemade bread. Her bread making does not consist of a bread machine. She uses her skills she has learned on her own and from purchasing several bread cook books. She spends time with her boys baking and teaching them around the kitchen. One of Emily's goals is to pass on and teach her traditional childhood Puerto Rican meals to her children.

Delicious, unique, and flavorful is how I can best describe Pasteles. Typically, this Spanish dish is served during the holidays. I recall being 9 years old when I first learn how to make this dish. All the women in the household; grandma, mom, aunts and myself, would gather together to make this dish. Being that this is a challenging dish, each one of us was responsible of a task. Having several people help makes the process smoother and quicker. Anytime the holidays came around, I knew we would get together soon to start making Pasteles.

This dish is normally served along with the main course. It’s a dish that you will either love or you can do without it. It’s a bit challenging to make and takes much time. There are several different varieties but all are made in the same manor. Much of the ingredients are Spanish. I was taught to make it with green bananas. Some recipes are made with Yuca instead. Yuca is similar to potatoes but the texture is a combination of tougher, softer, and stringy once cooked. It is also a pale color, more an off white than yellowish like a potato.

This recipe calls for the following ingredients: green bananas, olives (no pit), potatoes, tomato sauce, salt, annatto oil, pork, garlic, sofrito, sazon, adobo seasoning, banana leaves or parchment paper, and Butcher's twine. All the seasonings aside from the oil are cooked in a large pot with the pork, olives, and potatoes. A grater is used to grate down the green bananas (uncooked) until they are in a mush like dough texture “masa”. Lay a sheet of parchment paper or banana leaf down, using a tablespoon of annatto oil, spread the oil in a circular motion on the paper or leaf about 2 inches in diameter. Place a handful of the masa dough onto the oil; make a well in the center. Place a half of a teaspoon of the oil in the well followed by the cooked pork, olives and potatoes. Fold over the each side of the banana mixture covering the pork.

Taking both ends of the parchment or leaf, have both ends meet at the top and fold them together until it meets the masa dough. Fold over the remaining two ends. The Pastele should have a rectangle shape and fit tightly in the parchment or leaf. Using the twine, tie the Pastele in a “t” shape. Boil the Pastele in salted water for about an hour, remove Pastele, cut open, serve on a dish and enjoy. The uncooked remaining Pasteles can be frozen and used up to 1 month. To cook the frozen Pastele, boil in salted water for two hours.

Once cooked, the Pasteles are of a brown color and the outer texture of the masa dough is thick. I find them delicious however; it is difficult to describe the taste but the taste is heavenly. The pork is cooked so well that the meat falls apart as you cut into the Pastele. The filling has a burst of flavors and they all compliment each other. I personally prefer to have them with ketchup and hot sauce drizzled on top. I really enjoy eating them but I also appreciate to work that is put into them. Knowing first hand all the hard work it takes; it makes it taste that much better. I was privileged enough to learn how to make this traditional homemade Pasteles at a very early age. It has stuck with me along with all the wonderful memories of the women in my family.

While preparing the Pasteles, we would have snacks on the side with soda or beer (I wasn’t allowed to have any beer obviously). My job was tying the Pasteles. I took pride in that but as time went on, I wanted to try a different task. I eventually got moved up to placing the masa dough onto the parchment/leaf. Took some practice to get the amount of oil and masa dough right, but eventually, I got right. It was so much fun, everyone gathered together, talking, laughing, and having a great time. Just being part of that tradition and having the connection with my grandmother, mother and aunts is priceless.

I am very grateful to my grandmother for taking the time to teach a young girl how to make this very difficult recipe along with many others dishes that are from our heritage. Being able to make these dishes for my family means that I am doing my part in keeping our traditions and heritage alive. This is important to me since I have 3 boys and I would like them to know about our traditions and the foods from our land. I hope to pass along these recipes to my sons one day and tell them about the great stories and memories that come along with them.