Puerto Rican recipe -----help!?????!
I need a few good Pasteles recipes!Www@FoodAQ@Com
Answers:
There is quite a few different versions of it, here are a couple of recipes:
Ingredients
1 unripe plantain (as bright green as you can find)
1/2 lb yautia (malanga)
1/2 lb white yam (Niame)
1-2 tablespoon goya brand adobo seasoning
3-4 plantain leaves
3 dried bay leaf, crushed
1/2 lb ground beef or pork loin or chicken
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
3 garlic clove, mashed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons chicken broth
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
fresh ground black pepper
tying string
Directions
1) Cut the banana leaves into 8x8-inch squares wash, pat dry and reserve!.
2) If using pork or chicken:!.
3) Place a small chicken (about a 2lbs) or pork loin in a crock pot and liberally sprinkle with adobo seasoning until covered!. Set on low for 6-8 hours When done, allow it to cool and shred it with your fingers!. Now you can use it for the pasteles!.
4) If using ground beef:!.
5) In a bowl combine the meat with the onion powder, oregano, basil, 2 tbsp adobo seasoning!.
6) In a pan over medium heat, heat up oil and add garlic, onions and pepper!. Sauté until tender!. Add 1/2 lb of meat!.
7) Cook until no longer pink and drain!. Return to heat and 2 tbsp of water and tomato paste!. Cook until all liquid has evaporated!. Reserve!.
8) If using cooked pork or chicken:!.
9) Heat up oil over medium heat and add garlic, onions and pepper until tender; add 1/2 lb meat!. Season with oregano, bay, onion powder, black pepper and salt if needed!. Stir until combined!. Add 2 tbsp water and tomato paste, heat through, for about 2 minutes or until liquid has evaporated!. Reserve!.
10) Peel the plantains, niame and malanga!. Grate the raw niame, malanga and plantain and mix with 1 tsp of adobo seasoning and 1 tspn salt!. Add the broth either store-bought kind or the broth made if you slow-cooked the chicken!. It will look like a doughy mass!. Don't make it too wet!.
11) For assembly:!.
12) Put 2 tbsp of the plantain mixture on the center of a banana tree leaf, on top put 1 tspn of meat, and top that with 2 more tbsp of the plantain mixture!. Wrap the leaf around it to form a rectangle; about 5-7" in length and 3-4" in width!. Wrap another layer of parchment paper over each one!. Tie string once around and once the other way to resemble a present, and tie a knot in the middle!. At this point you can freeze them by wrapping a third layer of foil over each one and store for up to a month, just remove foil before cooking!.
13) When ready to make, put half a gallon of water in a very large pot and boil them for 20 minutes!. Remove the banana leaf before eating!.
14) We usually eat them with Tabasco sauce and/or ketchup!. Enjoy!
**************************************!.!.!.
CARAMEL PASTALES--
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
7 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons milk
25 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder, and salt!. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or by hand until mixture forms pea sized lumps!. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; tossing the mixture with a fork until dough comes together!. Divide dough into 2 pieces, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour!.
In a small saucepan, combine the caramels and milk over low heat, stirring constantly!. Stir in the coconut , remove from heat, and allow to cool!.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)!. Grease cookie sheets!.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness!. Cut out circles with a 3 inch round cookie cutter!. Beat the egg and 1 tablespoon of water together in a cup!. Moisten the edge of the cookie round with the egg mixture, and place 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture in the center!. Fold the circle over in half and press the edges with a fork to seal!.
Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg mixture!. With a knife cut three slits across the top of each cookie!. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown!. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool!. Store at room temperature!. These cookies do not freeze well!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Ingredients
1 unripe plantain (as bright green as you can find)
1/2 lb yautia (malanga)
1/2 lb white yam (Niame)
1-2 tablespoon goya brand adobo seasoning
3-4 plantain leaves
3 dried bay leaf, crushed
1/2 lb ground beef or pork loin or chicken
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
3 garlic clove, mashed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons chicken broth
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
fresh ground black pepper
tying string
Directions
1) Cut the banana leaves into 8x8-inch squares wash, pat dry and reserve!.
2) If using pork or chicken:!.
3) Place a small chicken (about a 2lbs) or pork loin in a crock pot and liberally sprinkle with adobo seasoning until covered!. Set on low for 6-8 hours When done, allow it to cool and shred it with your fingers!. Now you can use it for the pasteles!.
4) If using ground beef:!.
5) In a bowl combine the meat with the onion powder, oregano, basil, 2 tbsp adobo seasoning!.
6) In a pan over medium heat, heat up oil and add garlic, onions and pepper!. Sauté until tender!. Add 1/2 lb of meat!.
7) Cook until no longer pink and drain!. Return to heat and 2 tbsp of water and tomato paste!. Cook until all liquid has evaporated!. Reserve!.
8) If using cooked pork or chicken:!.
9) Heat up oil over medium heat and add garlic, onions and pepper until tender; add 1/2 lb meat!. Season with oregano, bay, onion powder, black pepper and salt if needed!. Stir until combined!. Add 2 tbsp water and tomato paste, heat through, for about 2 minutes or until liquid has evaporated!. Reserve!.
10) Peel the plantains, niame and malanga!. Grate the raw niame, malanga and plantain and mix with 1 tsp of adobo seasoning and 1 tspn salt!. Add the broth either store-bought kind or the broth made if you slow-cooked the chicken!. It will look like a doughy mass!. Don't make it too wet!.
11) For assembly:!.
12) Put 2 tbsp of the plantain mixture on the center of a banana tree leaf, on top put 1 tspn of meat, and top that with 2 more tbsp of the plantain mixture!. Wrap the leaf around it to form a rectangle; about 5-7" in length and 3-4" in width!. Wrap another layer of parchment paper over each one!. Tie string once around and once the other way to resemble a present, and tie a knot in the middle!. At this point you can freeze them by wrapping a third layer of foil over each one and store for up to a month, just remove foil before cooking!.
13) When ready to make, put half a gallon of water in a very large pot and boil them for 20 minutes!. Remove the banana leaf before eating!.
14) We usually eat them with Tabasco sauce and/or ketchup!. Enjoy!
**************************************!.!.!.
CARAMEL PASTALES--
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
7 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons milk
25 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, confectioners' sugar, baking powder, and salt!. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or by hand until mixture forms pea sized lumps!. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; tossing the mixture with a fork until dough comes together!. Divide dough into 2 pieces, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour!.
In a small saucepan, combine the caramels and milk over low heat, stirring constantly!. Stir in the coconut , remove from heat, and allow to cool!.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)!. Grease cookie sheets!.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness!. Cut out circles with a 3 inch round cookie cutter!. Beat the egg and 1 tablespoon of water together in a cup!. Moisten the edge of the cookie round with the egg mixture, and place 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture in the center!. Fold the circle over in half and press the edges with a fork to seal!.
Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the egg mixture!. With a knife cut three slits across the top of each cookie!. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown!. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool!. Store at room temperature!. These cookies do not freeze well!.Www@FoodAQ@Com
Honestly, you can choose any recipe people list to follow - but most Puerto Ricans don't measure anything when they cook, it's all by sight or by taste!.
I've only ever cooked for LARGE amounts of people !.!.!. as in over 30 - this was a dish we made for special occasions !.!.!. and I helped my abuelita!. I can tell you the ingredients, and how to make certain things but the rest is up to you!.
Pasteles -
Masa - grated green bananas - we've only ever cooked for large amounts of people, so we actually grated a few bunches (we'd take all the green bananas off a few trees)
achiote (annato) oil - heat the achiote seeds in oil (we used corn or vegetable oil) to get the color and flavor, add to the masa
yellow food coloring - my abuelita likes the masa to have that color instead of the "brown" that fruit acquires when it meets air
garlic powder and salt (to taste, and yes, my abuelita would taste the raw masa)
Metura -
pork butt/shoulder, cubed
fresh cilantro - cut by hand or just "snip" with kitchen shears (we usually added 1 whole bunch)
bell peppers - the green have a more bitter taste, the "colored" ones more sweet !.!.!. we use a mix, diced
Onions - we usually use the sweet or yellow onions, diced (1 whole, big onion)
fresh garlic - diced
tomatoes - canned, crushed or diced
tomato sauce and tomato paste
salt and pepper
achiote (annato) seeds - I know you can buy them in packets, but we grew our own !.!.!. heat them in a little oil to make the flavored oil (also adds some of the color)
you can add yellow food coloring to this if you like
lime juice
some people use the sazon goya - your choice
cumin
oregano
olives - we used the whole olives and went through several cans
Banana leaves - "singed" (we'd do this over an electric stove burner set close to high - just lightly run each leaf over to kind of cook it and bring out the oil and natural flavor) !.!.!. each banana frond is long, we'd slice off the leaves on each side, then cut the leaves into maybe 4x6 inch pieces!.
After you've cooked the metura and made the masa, you need aluminum foil (we'd rip them off at about 1 foot intervals - so you basically have a rectangle that's 1 ft long by however wide the roll of foil is - don't panic if it's more square than rectangle, it'll work)!. Place the foil in front of you, with the longest end going left to right, then place the singed banana leaf on the foil with the longest end pointing away/towards you in the center of the foil!.
Using a large cuchiarone (what my abuelita calls those big spoons you use in the kitchen to stir the stews with), lay a good amount of masa on the banana leaf - you will be making a "boat" going left to right, and don't worry about going off the edge of the leaf, as long as you are centered on the foil!. By "boat" I mean, once you've placed the masa, you will use the back of the spoon to create a "ditch" in the center of the masa - following it almost end to end - but not going all the way through!.
Next you will use another spoon of the same size and lay your metura in the "ditch" you created!.
Place one whole olive in the center of that!.
Now we roll - you will be rolling away from you - picking up the end closest to you, gently fold over the mix in the center, tuck firmly, but not too tightly or you'll squish it out the ends, roll over again and tuck - repeat until it's all folded/rolled!. Next, make sure you have it in front of you with the "seam" facing you (up) - now you place your hands on either side of the roll and gently using the outer edge of your palms, ease the mix into the center (you're basically looking for a burrito shape - no easier way to say it)when it's nice and firm, turn so one of the sides is facing you and fold/roll that edge in towards the center until it stops - repeat on the other side!.
Again - do not make it so tight it bursts - just firm so it holds it's shape!.
As for cook time, we had a HUGE pot and we cooked ours for a good 12 hours or more as we were cooking so many at a time !.!.!. I honestly don't know how long you'd cook a smaller batch!.
BlessingsWww@FoodAQ@Com
I've only ever cooked for LARGE amounts of people !.!.!. as in over 30 - this was a dish we made for special occasions !.!.!. and I helped my abuelita!. I can tell you the ingredients, and how to make certain things but the rest is up to you!.
Pasteles -
Masa - grated green bananas - we've only ever cooked for large amounts of people, so we actually grated a few bunches (we'd take all the green bananas off a few trees)
achiote (annato) oil - heat the achiote seeds in oil (we used corn or vegetable oil) to get the color and flavor, add to the masa
yellow food coloring - my abuelita likes the masa to have that color instead of the "brown" that fruit acquires when it meets air
garlic powder and salt (to taste, and yes, my abuelita would taste the raw masa)
Metura -
pork butt/shoulder, cubed
fresh cilantro - cut by hand or just "snip" with kitchen shears (we usually added 1 whole bunch)
bell peppers - the green have a more bitter taste, the "colored" ones more sweet !.!.!. we use a mix, diced
Onions - we usually use the sweet or yellow onions, diced (1 whole, big onion)
fresh garlic - diced
tomatoes - canned, crushed or diced
tomato sauce and tomato paste
salt and pepper
achiote (annato) seeds - I know you can buy them in packets, but we grew our own !.!.!. heat them in a little oil to make the flavored oil (also adds some of the color)
you can add yellow food coloring to this if you like
lime juice
some people use the sazon goya - your choice
cumin
oregano
olives - we used the whole olives and went through several cans
Banana leaves - "singed" (we'd do this over an electric stove burner set close to high - just lightly run each leaf over to kind of cook it and bring out the oil and natural flavor) !.!.!. each banana frond is long, we'd slice off the leaves on each side, then cut the leaves into maybe 4x6 inch pieces!.
After you've cooked the metura and made the masa, you need aluminum foil (we'd rip them off at about 1 foot intervals - so you basically have a rectangle that's 1 ft long by however wide the roll of foil is - don't panic if it's more square than rectangle, it'll work)!. Place the foil in front of you, with the longest end going left to right, then place the singed banana leaf on the foil with the longest end pointing away/towards you in the center of the foil!.
Using a large cuchiarone (what my abuelita calls those big spoons you use in the kitchen to stir the stews with), lay a good amount of masa on the banana leaf - you will be making a "boat" going left to right, and don't worry about going off the edge of the leaf, as long as you are centered on the foil!. By "boat" I mean, once you've placed the masa, you will use the back of the spoon to create a "ditch" in the center of the masa - following it almost end to end - but not going all the way through!.
Next you will use another spoon of the same size and lay your metura in the "ditch" you created!.
Place one whole olive in the center of that!.
Now we roll - you will be rolling away from you - picking up the end closest to you, gently fold over the mix in the center, tuck firmly, but not too tightly or you'll squish it out the ends, roll over again and tuck - repeat until it's all folded/rolled!. Next, make sure you have it in front of you with the "seam" facing you (up) - now you place your hands on either side of the roll and gently using the outer edge of your palms, ease the mix into the center (you're basically looking for a burrito shape - no easier way to say it)when it's nice and firm, turn so one of the sides is facing you and fold/roll that edge in towards the center until it stops - repeat on the other side!.
Again - do not make it so tight it bursts - just firm so it holds it's shape!.
As for cook time, we had a HUGE pot and we cooked ours for a good 12 hours or more as we were cooking so many at a time !.!.!. I honestly don't know how long you'd cook a smaller batch!.
BlessingsWww@FoodAQ@Com