Pasteles

Ingredients
For the Pork Filling:

2 pounds pork shoulder, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 small sweet peppers, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons recaito, or Puerto Rican sofrito sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 bay leaf
For the Masa Dough:

4 pounds yautía , or malanga, peeled
6 green plantains
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons recaito
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon achiote oil, or more to desired consistency
For the Wrapping:

1 tablespoon achiote oil
Kosher salt, for boiling water

Steps to Make It
Make the Pork Filling
Gather the ingredients.

Puerto Rican Pasteles ingredients
Brown the diced pork in olive oil in a large nonstick skillet.

pork cooking in a pan
Add the sweet peppers, chopped onion, recaito, garlic, adobo, oregano, and bay leaf, stirring well. Cook until the pork is no longer pink inside. Remove the bay leaf from the mixture and set aside to cool.

Add the sweet peppers, chopped onion, recaito, garlic, adobo, oregano, and bay leaf to the pork in the pan
Make the Masa Dough
Gather the ingredients.

masa dough ingredients
In a large bowl, grate the peeled yautía and the green plantains (or cleaned and peeled yuca). Use disposable gloves, as uncooked plantains will stain your hands and kitchen towels.

grate the peeled yautía and the green plantains
Blend the grated roots in a food processor until creamy.

Blend the grated roots in a food processor
Place the masa over a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve for at least three hours so the excess moisture drips out.

Place the masa over a cheesecloth and remove moisture
Once the masa is ready, stir in the garlic, recaito, salt, and enough of the achiote oil to moisten the dough and add a little color. You are now ready to assemble and wrap the pasteles.

Once the masa is ready, stir in the garlic, recaito, salt, and achiote oil
Wrap the Pasteles
Prepare a work surface to assemble and wrap the pasteles. If you have friends helping you, set up an assembly line. Prepare 20 (10 x 5-inch) banana leaves, 20 (8 x 4-inch) rectangles of parchment paper, and 20 (18-inch) pieces of kitchen string.

Puerto Rican Pasteles ingredients
For each pastel, lay out a piece of parchment paper, topped with 1 piece of banana leaf. Brush achiote oil in a rectangular shape on the center of the banana leaf.

Brush achiote oil in a rectangular shape on the center of the banana leaf
Spread 1 1/2 to 2 spoonfuls of masa onto the center of the leaf.

Spread 1 1/2 to 2 spoonfuls of masa onto the center of the leaf
Add 1 spoonful of pork filling and top with another spoonful of masa.

Add one spoonful of pork filling and top of the masa
Bring the edges of the banana leaf over the top of the pork filling. Then repeat with the other side of the banana leaf so that the masa completely covers the top of the filling.

use the banana leaf to wrap the masa around the pork filling
Bring the edges of the banana leaf together and fold down over the top.

Bring the edges of the banana leaf together and fold down over the top
Fold the edges of the banana leaf underneath the package.

Fold the edges of the banana leaf underneath the package
Bring the top and bottom edges of the parchment paper over the top and fold or roll down the edges to make a horizontal seam. Tuck the ends under.

wrap the banana leaf warps with parchment paper
Tie with a string in both directions. At this point, you can freeze any pasteles you are not going to cook and eat right away. Place them in resealable bags, date, label, and freeze.

tie string around the parchment paper
Cook the Pasteles
Bring a stock pot of salted water to a boil. Place the pasteles in the water, making sure they are submerged. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.

Puerto Rican Pasteles in a pot of boiling water
Using tongs, remove the pasteles from the boiling water and place them on a plate. Carefully cut the string of each with kitchen scissors and very carefully open the banana leaves and parchment paper. Place the pastel on a serving plate.