PASTELES- Down home recipe from grandma's kitchen

PASTELES

Down home recipe from grandma's kitchen

This is the most mouth watering food ever! You can make a masa with bananas and also wrap in banana leaves but grandma always skipped this part, hers were still firm and did cut out some work. Basically she threw everything in the pot and boiled it down to a firm mash. There are other ways to do this but it is exhausting unless spread over 2 or 3 days although it is easier now with today's kitchen appliances.
You can use any type of meat but they are traditionally made with pork. About 3 1/2 lbs should do it or a little more.

Then you add to it

• 1 Potato - Chopped very small pieces.
• Cilantro - A small handful chopped fine.
• Sazon Goya - 2 packages with achiote
• Green pepper - I used a half of one.
• 1- 2 Red pepper - diced very small
• Onion - 1 small chopped fine.
• Garlic - I like Garlic so I used 8 cloves, you can use less.
• Green Bananas - I used 10 here diced small better to grate.
• Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup.
• Honey - About 3 tablespoons.
• Raisins - Three of the small boxes.
• Salt - To taste.
• 3 1/2 tbsp. recaito

Extra Materials: 1 roll butchers twine (Chiranga Style) 1 lb. parchment paper

Now this is the tough part, you boil it down until it is a very, very thick mash.

Then take cooking paper and string.

Put about 2 ounces into a square of the paper, fold it like a tortilla

and tie it securely.

Refrigerate.

When you get ready to serve it , start a pot of boiling salted water.

Drop the squares directly into the water and boil for about 1 hour.

Then serve with rice and beans or salad.  It is delicious!